


Alice Alive

by KKYOKO



Category: Yu Yu Hakusho
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Gratuitous Smut, Multi, OC, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Drama, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, yu yu hakusho - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 19:50:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 230,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17250311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KKYOKO/pseuds/KKYOKO
Summary: Alice is a twenty-two year old work-a-holic college student, but everything changes when she's murdered one night. She wakes up in the YYH 'verse as her eight-year-old self, and forces her way into Kurama's home and life to survive in this weird world. However, her peaceful life descends into chaos when Kurama starts getting his powers back, and she learns the truth about what really happened that night, and the consequences that follow. Starting over is a real bitch.Sidenote: This was originally posted on FFN in 2010, and I'm moving it here because FFN just all around fucking blows man. I will be adding things (smut/lemons) to this story that I wasn't able to before. You can check out the original (though it's really not that different) on FFN, same title, under KKYOKO.





	1. Chapter 1

**Alice Alive**

**Chapter One: Contact**

* * *

**Trigger Warning:** _Attempted sexual assault and murder ahead. It's not really graphic, and he doesn't do much but point a gun and hold her down, but still - warning!_

My brain is fuzzy and I feel lightheaded, in a good way. My best friend for life, Jenna, calls out to me from her car as I make my way up the walk to my apartment. The pavement before me wobbles in my vision, or maybe that's my body weaving in a happily inebriated state. Jenna's words flow around my head like the wind, twisting my long, curly, blonde hair with her tone. She wonders if I'm going to make it to my door. I wave at her and she grins, laughing at me.

"See you later, bitch!" she yells, starting her white Mazda. The engine drowns out her next words, but she repeats herself, leaning out of her window. The streetlamps make her wide, pale face more translucent as she shouts out to the apartment complex, "Let's make tacos Tuesday!"

"I love you, silly! We'll make all the tacos you want!"

Jenna grins again and waves at me as she pulls out of her parallel parking spot, and drives away. As she disappears into the moonlit night, I can hear her laughter on the wind. I turn and face the path to my apartment door and dig in my purse for my keys. They are sharp and complicated in my drunken hand, but under the streetlamp I find my house key. I unlock the door labeled "103" and push it open, squeezing my body through the gap quickly so my cat doesn't escape. I flick on the light as I shut the door behind me, and see my cat, Roosevelt, curled up on the back of the couch. He mews as I drop down on the couch beside him, asking me for a snack.

"No Teddy," I mumble, feeling heavy. "I'm tired."

He tells me that I shouldn't drink so much, among other snarky cat things.

Suddenly, my phone rings. This is odd because it is two in the morning, and sane people are asleep at this time of day. Figuring it might be Jenna checking up on me, my arm extends over the coffee table and picks up the receiver. "Hello?" I ask.

The person on the other end hangs up, leaving an annoying dial tone ringing in my ear. I check the caller ID, but the number was blocked. Getting a bad feeling, I frown and look at my door. Did I lock it when I came in? I swing my legs around and get to my feet, leaning on the couch. I hear a dog bark outside, and I suddenly  _know_  without a doubt that someone is out there. The inebriation wears off instantly as my adrenal glands kick into gear and pump adrenaline through my body. My heart races and my blood pressure rises as my sympathetic nervous system activates my survival mode.

I lunge at the door.

Before I can twist the deadbolt, the door flies open and hits me hard. I am knocked into the wall with a loud thunk, and before I can scream there is a hand over my nose and mouth. My assailant holds me down by my face and shuts the door behind him. I open my eyes and see a vaguely familiar brown-haired man leaning over me. His expression is serious and shifts his weight so that he sits on my stomach. His free hand disappears behind him, and when he brings it around again, he has a .9 millimeter pistol and he puts it to my forehead.

"Hello, Alice," he says. "Remember me?"

I shake my head. I do not know this man, although he does look familiar. My body shivers in fear.

The man frowns, and I can see that it makes him angry that I don't know who he is. "You and I met at a bar about a month ago. I bought you drink after drink, but you wouldn't give me the time of day." He smiles. "I followed you for the past three weeks, plotting this. I wanted to take you home that night, Alice. I wanted to make love to you. You have such a pretty face."

Oh, god.

I twist in his grasp, but he only puts more of his weight on me. "Don't do that, love," he says, cocking the gun. "I might accidentally shoot you before you hear my offer. Would you like to hear it?"

I nod, cringing. I know what he is going to say.

"If you promise not to scream, and do a good job, I might let you live, Alice. Let's get down to business, shall we?" He leans forward and removes his hand from my mouth. I keep quiet, knowing that screaming is pointless. He smiles. "Good girl. What I want from you is your body. Open your legs."

"I don't want to," I say, voice shaking. "Not even with a gun in my face."

He frowns. "Do you think I won't kill you? Is that it?"

I can feel my eyes pricking with tears of terror as I realize that I am going to die tonight. The man is dead serious about blowing my brains out onto the rug. He shifts again, closer to my face this time and his mouth hovers over mine. My body is shaking –  _quaking_  – in fear. I think of five-hundred ways to escape this situation, but none of them are possible or feasible. I hope that someone will burst in and save me. I wonder if that isn't too silly to hope for.

The barrel of the .9 millimeter is pressed harder into my forehead.

"Make a decision, Alice," the man says, losing patience. The game isn't fun anymore for him; he's bored.

I don't want to die.

But I don't want to do  _anything_  with him.

I meet the man's eyes and tell him to pull the trigger. He smiles, and that's the last thing I know.

* * *

Dying is done before I comprehend it, before my life can flash before my eyes, like the rumors say you see. I see nothing. I feel nothing. I am nothing. I float aimlessly, lonely, like a cloud in the sky. I feel no pain or fear. I am safe in the nothing.

Then, suddenly, I feel a change. I am being pulled somewhere, somewhere with substance. I don't fight it because I'm curious to where the pull will take me. Maybe it's heaven. I wonder if they'll let me in. Surely I haven't been too terrible.

Gradually, I feel heavier and I'm being pulled down…down…down, and I can feel my feet again, and they touch something solid. I open my eyes and see that I am standing in front of a tree. The bark is almost golden in the sunlight, and I look up curiously, and up and up because the tree is so tall. I turn and see greenery and brush around, and a nearby bush seems as tall as me. I wonder if there are giants in heaven.

I look down at my hands and see that they are tiny, like a young child's. I examine the rest of my body and find the same sorts of things. My chest is flat, my torso is straight instead of curvy, and my legs are thin and short. I am in my childhood's body. No wonder why everything was so tall around me. I am eight years old again. I wonder if everyone is a child in heaven.

I hear more children playing in the distance, beyond the little grove I'm standing in. Tentatively, I make my way through the brush and around the trees, unsteady on my little legs. My mind is used to taking longer strides, I think. Then the children come into view and I see that they are playing on a large playground. I stop when I see parents sitting on benches, reading books, or talking to each other, or just watching the children play. I look at them all carefully, and see that they are curiously all Asian.

One boy stands out though. He is holding a yellow ball and frowning. His hair is a truly vibrant red, and when he looks up, I see that his eyes are forest green. He looks out of place on this playground, like me, and I wonder if he knows anything about this heaven. Maybe he can tell me why I'm eight years old when there are adults here.

I approach him carefully, afraid to scare him off. As I move toward him, I notice that he holds his body like a tightly coiled spring, but his face is bland, yet observant. Something about him standing there with the ball gives me a wicked sense of déjà vu. I feel like I have seen him before, in his current position, and as I look harder, his out-of-place features look very familiar.  _Where have I seen you before?_

"Hello," I say. He looks up at me, expression mild and unchanging. He says nothing. I smile at him like I'm handling a crystal wine glass. "Can you tell me where I am?"

"Asaka," he replies, eyeing my blonde hair and blue eyes. He watches my expression turn confused. "Near Tokyo," he adds.

I am in jaw-dropping shock for a whole minute, but I do not show it on my face. The boy's features jump at me again when he moves closer, examining me. "Are you all right?" he asks, curiously. "You're very quiet. Are you lost?" His tone is unconcerned, and I suddenly think that it doesn't suit his character. But…what character is that? "You're obviously not Japanese," he goes on, eyeing my curly blonde hair again. "Are you from Europe or America?" He isn't asking out of concern at all. He is merely curious, and although I'm a little offended by it, I know that I can use it to my advantage.

"What's your name?" I ask, ignoring his questions.

He frowns, looking a bit miffed. "Minamino Shuichi," he replies. He raises an eyebrow. "And yours?"

I feel my eyes widen as I recognize the name. The human name of the character of Kurama, from  _Yu Yu Hakusho_  is standing right in front of me.  _I died and fell into an_   _anime?_  I turn my face away because I can't hide my expression. I am amazed, shocked, and terrified all at once. At the moment, Kurama is perhaps eight or nine, like me, but he is still deadly. I must be very careful, or else I'll be killed.

But if I did die again, would I come back in  _Naruto_ or  _Bleach_? What sort of phenomena  _is_  this?

I school my features into a calm expression and turn back to him. "My name is Alice," I say. "I'm eight, and I'm not supposed to be here."

Kurama frowns, stepping closer. I watch him close his forest green eyes and lean in as he inhales the air around me. I realize he is checking to see if I'm human, but I still give him a curious look. His expression is unreadable as he straightens up, but he doesn't look hostile. Finally, he asks, "Where are you supposed to be?"

"Heaven," I respond.

His face is doubtful as he reaches out to touch me. His hand lands solidly on my shoulder, as if he is testing to see how tangible I am. I wonder if he does not trust his sixth sense at this time – or if he has much of one yet to begin with. Surely he must. His voice is smooth as he says, "You are fully human, and you are not a spirit. How are you here?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I was murdered, and then I was floating, and now I'm here." His face is curious again, and I explain a little, not everything, but enough to keep him interested. His interest is vital, and so is his human mother's. I need a place to stay. I also cannot let him know that I know who he is. "The man who killed me shot me in the head," I say, pointing to my forehead.

Kurama nods, but I can't read his expression again. He seems like he is just considering a minor detail, and I remember at this point, Kurama doesn't care much about children. I wonder how many he has killed, and I feel sick to my stomach. After the wave of nausea passes, I realize that I'm hungry, and it's chilly out. "What month is it?" I ask.

"It's October," he replies. "Is it the same as when you died?"

"No," I say, "it happened in June. I might have floated for awhile though."

He nods again, considering my words.

I hear his name being called. We turn and see Shiori approaching us, eyeing me curiously. She is a pretty woman, and I can see that she smiles a lot – or she tries to. It must be hard to have a son like Kurama, though. Her brown eyes are warm and welcoming against her medium-toned skin. She is young now, perhaps in her late twenties, and she smiles at me making me feel like she immediately loves me. It is a strange feeling, but not unlikable. I feel my whole heart open up under her smile.

"Who is your friend, Shuichi-chan?" she asks, kneeling so that she is eye-level to me. "She's very cute."

I give her a solemn look, not willing to leave my fate in Kurama's hands. I do not trust him yet. "I'm Alice," I say. "My mommy and daddy got into a car accident. The policeman said…" I sniffed, thinking about my parents finding out about my murder, thinking of them crying, knowing that we would never see each other again. My tears I cried then were real, even though the story was backward. "The policeman said that they won't come back. He said they went to heaven." I cover my face and sob into my tiny childish palms, crying for the world that was forever gone from me. I feel Shiori pull me against her instinctively and then I'm crying into her coat.

Shiori doesn't say anything and only holds me tightly until I get my tears under control. "Do you have any other family?" she asks, "Any cousins or siblings or grandparents?" She is wondering if there is anywhere else more appropriate for me to go before she makes her decision.

I shake my head. "Nuh-uh. Mommy and Daddy didn't have brothers and sisters. I don't have grandparents."

She frowns. "Where are you from? Do you know where you were born? Or your family name?"

"I don't know. We move around a lot. My family name starts with a 'tuh' sound," I say, wiping my eyes. Though, part of me kicks myself, because really - what eight year old doesn't know her name? "I don't know it. We flew on a plane yesterday and came here."

She frowns again. "So you don't have a house here. Do your parents have a house at all?"

I shake my head. "We move around a lot," I repeat. I glance at Kurama, and see that his expression is bland. As soon as Shiori looks over at him too, though, his face immediately looks saddened. I wonder if he will come to resent me. The last thing I was is for him to be my enemy. The very last thing, in fact.

Shiori sighs and takes my face between her hands, smiling slightly. "Alice-chan, would you like to come with me and Shuichi for awhile? At least until we can figure out where you're from." She smiles. "If you have family somewhere, it wouldn't be right to keep you from them."

I nod, still solemn, but inwardly relieved. I am betting that at some point in the week ahead that Shiori will take me to the surrounding police stations, and ask if any of them are looking for me. They will say no, and won't know about any foreigners dying in a car accident. Perhaps if I drop here and there comments, I can make my fake parents out to be tangled up in some government conspiracy, which is why their deaths would be covered up.

Shiori lets go of my face and takes my hand in one of hers and Kurama's in her other. I can feel him looking at me and I know that he is suspicious. He knows that I've omitted something out of my story, because no normal eight year old could come up with something as elaborate as I've told Shiori. Kurama, the clever demon that he is, will lie in wait – waiting for me to slip up. But I won't let him do that. Kurama may be patient, but I am not, and I need him to trust me. The only way to accomplish that is to be honest as soon as possible.

I give him a friendly smile behind Shiori's back.

His suspicious expression doesn't change.

* * *

**For the record, I based the killer off the predatory stalker type. For them, following and stalking their victims is like foreplay, and sexual assault is usually the ultimate end/thrill/thing. From reading this, I think it would be the first time this guy had ever done something like this, because he doesn't go through with the rape, but kills her instead. So maybe he could be a combination of predator and revenge stalker. I'd like to say the murderer was well-researched, but honestly, I just pulled him out of a hat. Alice needed to die.**


	2. Making Nice

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Two: Making Nice**

* * *

Shiori takes me to her two-story house that her late husband left her. It's Japanese-style, and clean and simple. It has four bedrooms that are approximately about the same size, one traditional bluebonnet blue tile-covered bathtub/bathing room, and two modern half bathrooms. The apple-decorated kitchen is a good size, with a dining table in the middle. The living room is strangely smaller than the kitchen, and is decorated in hues of beige and green. The entire house is light, open, and cheerful. I can tell by the size and quantity of the bedrooms that Shiori and her late husband had been planning on filling the house up with children. It is a shame that he passed away.

Shiori leads me around the house, showing me around, and telling me about it. Kurama follows at a distance, observant and silent. He gives away nothing and watches us scornfully. Shiori either doesn't notice or is used to her son's behavior, but she appears happy enough as I occupy her attention. Only having a son and all, she seems excited about me, maybe because I am a cute little girl.

She shows me the room that I will be sleeping in. It is adjacent to her room and beside Kurama's. It's obviously a guest room, but there is a bureau, a white wardrobe, and a small bed pushed against the window. She smiles as I take in the room, then she slips away, saying that she's going to start dinner and to call her if I need anything. Her hand flutters over Kurama's head like she might smooth his hair, but then she thinks better of it at his expression, and I hear her go downstairs.

"Your mom's nice," I say, frowning at him. "You shouldn't glare at her like that."

He ignores my comment and steps into the room, closing the door behind him. "Nice story you told her," he says pointedly. "Very poignant for an eight year old."

I sigh, and bounce onto the bed. "I'm actually twenty-two," I reveal. "I wanted you to be curious, so I didn't tell you right away."

His placid expression doesn't change at all. "That explains the story. I need to know more about you, though."

I stop him before he can go on. "You're very serious for an eight or nine year old, Shuichi-kun. And is there a reason you don't like your mom?" I decide to point out the fact that he is abnormal before we can get into my business. "I want to know more about  _you_  first, because I don't have to tell you anything, kiddo."

His eyes narrow at me, like he is contemplating ways to kill me if he only had his strength and powers. He folds his arms and leans against the door, for a moment, considering his options. He could tell me nothing, or he could tell me a bit about himself and learn a bit about me, or he could try to kill me, which would likely result in having his cover in the human world blown.

He sighs and comes toward me, away from the door. He stops about a foot away from my spot on the bed, forest green eyes reflecting his age. Unfolding he arms, he begins with, "I am not eight years old either."

"Are you copying me?" I ask dubiously, inwardly giggling at myself. "I know mimicry is one of the sincerest forms of flattery, but –"

"I assure you, I am not copying you, nor do I have any urge at  _all_  to flatter you," he says dryly. His eyes flash with irritation, but I see the eons of patience he has accumulated hold him back from doing anything violent. I politely wait for him to continue. "I am not quite sure how old I am, and that alone should tell you that I have lived a long time. In my previous life I was not human. I was something more…sinister."

I lean forward, expressing my curiosity. "Sinister?" I ask.

"I was a demon," he says flatly, gauging my reaction.

I laugh. "I've had a bit of experience with those," I tell him honestly. "When I was in high school, I made a lot of psychic friends and we went exploring in graveyards and old houses. Once we took a trip to a haunted hotel in Austin together, and that was kinda scary, but it was thrilling too, you know? But I can see and sense spirits and entities too, not as well as I used to. I guess I sort of grew out of it." I tap my toes together and watch his expression. "I'd like to think I know a thing or two about demons."

I hold back on the information that I have the ability to strip their powers. I figure I should sit on that until the opportune moment, but I do sort of  _want_  to tell Kurama. I was sort of forced to develop that power when a demon followed me home from the haunted hotel, and started squatting in my bedroom closet. It was pretty terrifying, and I was concerned about it going after my younger sisters.

He doesn't expect my experience. "Interesting."

"Were you a strong demon?" I ask, smiling slightly.

He smiles back, but it's a cold smile. "Very strong. I'm certain that you've never met a demon quite like me."

I cackle. "I didn't know you could be funny, Shuichi-kun! You're so serious. Of  _course_  I've never met a demon quite like you. In fact, I've never met  _anyone_  quite like you." I laugh harder, bending over. " _Honestly_."

The cold seeps out of his expression, and his mouth twitches in the corner. "I suppose I've never met anyone quite like you either." He sobers. "Your situation is very strange though. Even stranger is the fact that you're a human."

"Are you calling me weird?"

"More or less." There is more amusement in this smile. "But is this your body, I wonder? Your original body?"

I stand up and turn around for him, and catch my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks are round and childish, and I'm not used to it. "This is what I looked like when I was about eight years old. It's so  _weird_ ," I muttered, pinching my cheek as I stared at myself. I turned back to him. "That's an odd question to ask though, Shuichi-kun. Is that not  _your_  original body?"

He smirked. "Not quite. I'm missing ears and a tail."

"Uh?" I asked, staring hard at him. "Really? Like cat or dog ears and tail?"

He tugged a piece of his red hair, looking up at it over his eyes. "Fox," he answered. "I was a kitsune, or rather, I still am in some sense. I was known as Youko Kurama."

"Interesting," I said, returning his earlier statement.

"Shuichi! Alice!" Shiori calls our names from downstairs. "Dinner!"

* * *

The next day, Shiori calls into work, drops Kurama off at school, and takes me to the police station. The officer at the desk looks up expectantly when we walk in, and Shiori flashes him a smile. She explains the situation to the man, and asks him if he knows anything about it. The officer frowns and tells her that there haven't been any recent deadly car accidents in the area, but he'll call around and ask other precincts. Shiori explains that she's only making sure that I don't have any relatives, and she doesn't mind taking me in as her own child. The officer's eyes swivel to me, fixing me with a curious look.

"Are you sure it was a car accident, sweetie?"

I nod solemnly.

"Were you in the car?"

I shake my head, considering the fact that I should have some bumps and bruises from an accident, and I don't. "I was about to get in the car, and someone ran into Mommy and Daddy."

"Did you see the person?" he asks.

I shake my head again. "No. I fainted," I make up on the spot, so I don't have to know what happened. "When I woke up someone told me they were dead. And the person that hit them got away."

Shiori explains to the officer then that I told her that I didn't have any other family. He nods, and offers to call her and let her know if anyone files a missing child report for me. If there's nothing for three months, Shiori can began an adoption process if she desires, and if she doesn't want to take care of me anymore, she can turn me over to the government's child welfare agency. They'll make sure that I find a good foster home or orphanage. That doesn't sound like an option to Shiori though, because her arms tighten around my body possessively.

"What should I do about her schooling?" Shiori asks. "She doesn't know her last name, and it's impossible to know if she's a Japanese citizen."

The officer shrugs. "It shouldn't be a problem if she uses your last name, ma'am. Just so the schools can call her something, at least until we find out who she is or you decide to adopt her."

Shiori nods and thanks the officer for his time, slipping him her business card in case of any news. We leave the building and head out into the blustery cold. Shiori pulls my hood up over my head affectionately, smiling at me. "I'm glad Shuichi-kun's old coat fits you. We still need to go shopping today for some clothes, though."

I nod cheerfully. I'm wearing Kurama's clothes under his jacket as well. He is bigger than me, so they fit somewhat, but even in my old life I was a small child. I was underweight until I hit twelve, and I imagine it'll be mostly the same in this life too. Shiori takes my hand and leads me to the train station. We take a short ride to a local shopping district and find a department store. Shiori lets me choose most of my clothes, but I have to try  _everything_  on because I don't know anything about Japanese sizes. I glance at price tags when Shiori isn't looking and try to pick cheaper items.

Eventually we leave the store with two big bags full of clothes. Shiori buys more clothes than I expect her to, but then I'm comparing her to my mother. My mom was  _super_  stingy when it comes to spending money – a trait I inherited from her. We take the train back to the neighborhood where the Minamino house lived, take the bags to the house, and put the clothes away in the dresser in my room.

Shiori glances at her watch. "We still have time to take you to the elementary school, Alice-chan. We can at least get you registered today, and then you can go with Shuichi-kun tomorrow."

"Okay," I say, getting to my feet. "Can I wear a new outfit today?"

"Yes," Shiori says, pulling out a small printed skirt and a white blouse out of the dresser and handing them to me. I change quickly, knowing we don't have loads of time. I pull on my new coat and let Shiori zip me up, and she gave me a little pinch on the cheek. It's kind of nice to be a kid again. It's nice to not have to worry about paychecks, or car insurance, or college tuition. Being an adult is so overrated.

I follow her downstairs and she slips her coat and shoes on and we head out again. As we walk to the elementary school, Shiori braids my hair and tosses the braid over my shoulder. She smiles at the effect and tells me it looks very cute, and then she pulls my hood up to cover my ears. We walk hand in hand down the sidewalk.

The elementary school isn't very far away from the house - just two blocks. The building is two stories, white, with a large playground to the side. A sign on the gate said "Watase Elementary" in Japanese. I realize with a start that I  _can_  read Japanese, or at least the hiragana above the kanji on the sign. I suppose an eight year old student in Japan should only be beginning to learn some kanji, so I might not be too far behind the other students then. And if I can read Japanese, I'm obviously speaking it too. Everyone I've spoken to so far seems to understand me well enough. I wonder how all that happened.

As I'm musing, Shiori leads me through the hallways to a receptionist. She greets the woman and asks to speak to the principal. The receptionist nods and leads us to a back office and knocks on the door. She lets us in the office without a word, shooting a smile at me.

"How can I help you?" the man behind the desk says. He indicates to the chairs. "Please have a seat…Minamino Shiori, right?"

Shiori nods, smiling. "Yes."

"Your son is an excellent student, Minamino-san. It's hard to overlook the parents with such good children," the man smiles kindly. His eyes slid over to me. "And who is this?"

She puts her hand on my head affectionately. "This is Alice. She's come into my care recently, and she'll be staying with my son and I. She needs to be enrolled in a school soon, and I thought this would be the best place to start. The problem is, I don't have any previous records of her schooling –"

"I was homeschooled," I piped up.

Shiori nods, acknowledging me. "Or a last name for her."

"Well, we can give her a placement exam to determine which grade to put her in," the principal says, "but her not having a last name is a problem. You don't have a birth certificate or anything for her?"

Shiori shakes her head. "I was thinking we could use my family name for the school records, but I really have no form of identification for her. Frankly, I have no idea where she came from, but she speaks Japanese very well. Her parents," Shiori leans forward and glances at me. I pretend to be fascinated with my shoes. "Her parents died in an accident recently, and no one has come to claim her. I went to the police station today, and the officer said that he would contact me if anyone filed a missing person report."

The principal looks thoughtful. "Do you plan to adopt her, if no one claims her?"

"Yes," she replies, firmly.

"Well then! From what I understand, there's a three-month window for someone to come claim her, and with the right lawyer, an adoption process in your case should be fairly quick. I think the school can wait about four or five months for a form of identification, or adoption papers," the man smiles. "It's unusual, but the board can certainly stand to overlook it in your case. It shouldn't be a problem. Now, for that placement test, would you care to take that today?" he asks Shiori.

I'm beginning to get annoyed with the let's-talk-over-Alice's-head-she's-not-here thing. "Yes," I say before Shiori can reply. I force the sullen expression off my face and try to smile. "I want to take it today. Then when will I get to go to school?"

He glances at a clock. "There's enough time today we could get you in by tomorrow morning, I think."

"Can I be in Shuichi-kun's class?"

"If you place in his grade, I don't see why not," the man replies kindly. He turns to Shiori. "It seems she's taken quite well to your son."

She smiles in reply.

"See Tanaka at the front and get her to give you the test, Minamino-san. I'll go over it personally and place her myself."

We leave the office and get the test and a pencil from the lady who smiled at me. She gives me a spot at the desk beside her to work on the test. I write my name in English at the top corner of the test and write it in katakana underneath the English. The first few questions are mathematical, which is fine, because elementary math to a twenty-two year old college student is cake and pie. The next are definitions and shapes. There are some open-ended questions that strike me as psychological more than anything. All in all, the entire test is easy, especially since I now have magical reading/writing/speaking powers, which are extremely helpful. I get a few of the most difficult wrong on purpose, and I figure at almost two hundred questions I can afford it. College has taught me many things, and calculating my grade is one of them.

I finish the test in about forty-five minutes, and hand it to Tanaka. Shiori smiles at me. "Do you think you did well?" she asks.

I nod, smiling. "Do you think if I place ahead of Shuichi-kun, I can still be in his class?" And then I immediately turn red for thinking I could place ahead of Kurama and then expressing it to his mother.

Shiori laughs at me and ruffles my hair. "Maybe."

Tanaka comes back in about an hour and leads us back to the principal's office. He smiles at me approvingly. "You did very well, Alice-chan. I think you'll do fine in third grade with Shuichi-kun."

I grin, excited.

* * *


	3. Proof

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Three: Proof**

* * *

Kurama doesn't take well to me being in his class. He shoots me cold looks, as well as everyone around him. Some of the children try to talk to him, but he usually ignores them. The children all seem to like him, especially the girls, no matter how cold and standoffish he appears to be. He's too popular for his own good.

Our teacher is nice. She's a young woman in her twenties that smiles a lot. She pairs us into groups and lets us work on projects together, but she doesn't pair me with Kurama, which is okay. I make friends with an adorable little girl named Toki. She has a big, wide grin, and her short black hair is paired into two spiky pigtails. She likes me immediately because of my foreign looks, and wants to braid my hair.

After a day of being an elementary student again, Kurama and I walk home together. His sharp green eyes slide over to me. "Are you having fun?" he asks scornfully. "Being a human child, that is."

I answer him with an (intentional) annoyingly happy grin. "Of course I am. You've never been a human before, so you wouldn't know, but being an adult sucks."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Really now," he says dubiously.

"Yes," I said flatly. "You have to worry about a humongous car insurance bill every six months, rent, doctor visits, birth control, groceries, college tuition, jobs that suck, how you're going to afford Christmas presents, politicians stealing money from your school so that you can't get into the program you want – it's all really ridiculous. All you have to worry about when you're a kid is to keep you grades up and your room clean. It's not a big deal. Enjoy your youth." I move past him, annoyed, and head to the house at a faster pace.

Kurama comes in a few minutes after me and tosses his bag down next to mine. I'm busy untying my shoes while he slips his off and goes into the kitchen. I hear Shiori greet him, and him respond politely. Shiori is probably getting dinner ready. I can hear her chopping something. Something is dragged across the floor and I hear Kurama murmur something about needing a glass.

I freeze and turn in the direction of the kitchen.

"I can do it," I hear him say.

Suddenly I hear a crash and then a surprised "ah!" and then Shiori's shriek of pain.

I forget untying my shoe and run into the kitchen where I find Kurama scrambling out of Shiori's bleeding arms. She is clearly in pain, and there are a few pieces of shattered glass sticking out of her arms, blood oozing from the wounds. She smiles at Kurama, eyes watering. "I'm glad you're all right, Shuichi-kun. I'm glad I was in time. That would have been painful for you."

A strange look comes over Kurama's face. "Y-You saved me, Mother." His green eyes are huge.

"Of course I did," Shiori says, still giving him a wavering smile. She is in so much pain, right now, but she smiles at her son all the same. "I will always save you, Shuichi-kun."

"We have to get you to a hospital," I say, glancing at Kurama who seems to be in a trance. "What should I call, Shiori-san?"

She nods her head and tells me the number and I grab the phone and dial it. I explain to the lady what happened, and give her the address. She tells me she's sending an ambulance over right away. I thank her and hang up.

I turn back to see Shiori looking at me curiously. "You aren't afraid of blood, Alice-chan?"

"Nope," I say, "I've seen lots of blood before." I flash a childish smile.

"On TV?" she asks. Her frown is concerned.

I shake my head, seeing a chance to make my fake parents seem suspicious. "No, one time Daddy beat up a guy who was trying to do something bad. Daddy said the guy was going to shoot me and Mommy, and then we had to run away." I frown, as though sad. "I guess Mommy and Daddy don't have to run away anymore."

"No," Shiori says, looking almost nauseated. "I suppose not. Although, I'm sure that they are happy that you don't have to run away either."

I nod cheerfully. "They'll be happy that I have a good home now."

Shiori's face lit up and she smiled at me gently. Glancing back to a still-somewhat-stunned Kurama and then to me, she says, "You two make me very happy too." She chuckles.

Kurama blinks, and then his face breaks out into a weak smile. It's an authentic smile, but it's covering a lot of emotion all the same. His hand goes up and rubs his eyes, and he looks very small and fragile. But he looks up at Shiori again, and even though he doesn't smile, I can see his appreciation for her. He's beginning to come around to the Kurama he was in the series.

"I'm going to wait for the ambulance outside," I declare, deciding to give them space, and go to put my other shoe back on.

* * *

Kurama and I sit beside each other in the waiting room, staring at a clock. The nurse behind the counter offers us a coloring book, but neither of us is interested. Shiori is just now being examined by an intern, but I'm guessing that she might have severed a nerve or two, and he'll need a consult with a neurologist. I imagine that we'll end up spending the night in the hospital. I sighed and turned to Kurama. He has been silent ever since we've arrived.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I suppose," he replies. His green eyes are fixed on the floor, expression unreadable.

"Do you feel guilty?"

He blinks, and a bitter smile widens his mouth. "Yes, Alice. The point you made the other night – I see it now. She has done a lot for me, hasn't she?" I can see that he feels awful. His expression is pained. I can almost hear him thinking thoughts about what a horrible person he is, and that he is virtually worthless.

I put my arm around him and put my other hand on his small shoulder, half-hugging him. I set my chin on my hand that rests on his shoulder, and look up at him as his green eyes slide over to my face, surprised. "This," I say, "is called affection. Humans express affection to other humans when they see others upset or in pain. Because we are a socialized species, we need touch and affection. Humans can send messages through contact like this. This contact means, it's okay, you aren't a horrible person, you've seen what you've done wrong and now you can change your ways, and we still accept you in our socialized world."

He cracks a small grin and chuckles, hand covering his mouth. Then his hand drops and he turns serious again. "I can't ask her to forgive me, of course. Do you think she will?"

"Don't be stupid," I say flatly, giving his arm a squeeze to soften my tone. I pull away and meet his sad eyes. "Mothers always forgive their children, no matter what."

"But I'm not her s –"

"To her you are. Let her love you, Shuichi-kun," I respond.

He flinches at the name. "Call me Kurama."

A nurse steps into the waiting room, and we look up expectantly. She goes to a family though and they gather their things and follow her. We sigh together, disappointed and stressed.

"I wonder what's taking so long," he says, squeezing the chair tight enough his knuckles turn white. "Does that doctor know what he's doing?"

I turn my face away so Kurama doesn't see my grin at his behavior. Sobering, I turn back to him. "Maybe he needs a neuro consult," I say, sharing my suspicions with him.

He blinks at me, confused. "What?"

"Sorry, I've watched too much  _Grey's Anatomy_  in my past life. What I'm saying is, maybe the intern needs a consultation from a neurologist to check on for any nerve damage. They're probably doing some scans on her arms too; to make sure that her radial artery or vein wasn't nicked or cut. It's good that they take their time, though," I say. "It means they're being thorough."

Kurama nods, understanding, and then looks back at me curiously. "Actually, what did you go to college for?"

I shrug. "I took a lot of different classes. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. At least three of them were medical-field related – five if you count the lab time. My anatomy and physiology professor was actually a doctor, so he had some awesome surgical stories to share. I thought about being a nurse for awhile, but I realized I couldn't work and do clinicals forty hours a week. By the time I died though, I was seriously considering being a registered dietitian."

"Ah," he says.

Another nurse comes into the waiting room and her eyes fall on us. She bends down in front of us and gives us a small smile. "Your mother is just fine," she says. "She shouldn't have any lasting damage aside from a bit of scarring. We're going to keep her overnight though, just in case. Do you want to see her?"

We nod and follow the nurse down the hall, and she leads us into a small white room. Shiori is sitting up in the bed, arms wrapped in bandages, and she smiles at us. Kurama goes to her immediately and asks how she feels. As they murmur together, I hang back and slide Shiori's chart off the foot of her bed and examine it quizzically. I'm only curious to see if I know if anything on the chart makes sense to me. A few medical terms jump out that I know – or rather can remember from college, and can make out from the katakana. It'd be easier to understand if it were written in English.

I hear Shiori ask Kurama to buy some juice, and the clink of change as she hands him the money. He obeys and leaves the room to find a vending machine.

"Alice-chan," Shiori says, surprising me because I am very absorbed in her chart. I set it back on the foot of her bed and approach her. Her brown eyes are warm and her bandaged hand comes up and touches my cheek. "What kind of people were your parents?"

I look up at her, frowning. "They were good people, Shiori-san. My mommy and daddy loved me very much."

She gives me a reassuring smile. "I know. I'm just trying to figure out why someone would want to hurt them."

"Mmm," I say, precociously, "I head Daddy say once that the government wanted them dead."

Shiori blinks. "The  _government?_ "

I nod. "Then Mommy said something about contracts expiring and leaving the country."

Shiori's face is in awe. I think I have made a crime drama successfully come to life for her. I don't like lying to her, but I have to explain my nonexistence somehow. "Alice-chan, do you know what kind of work your parents did?"

I frown. "I heard something like …infil…infiltration – is that right?" She nods. "What does it mean?"

"Alice-chan, I think your parents were government spies, and that must be why…why I can't find any information about your parents' deaths." Her eyes flash with an idea. "It's a cover-up!"

"A cover-up?" I ask, curiously.

She nods. "The government – whichever one they worked for – hid the evidence of their deaths from the Japanese police. I should…go to the police and tell them," she murmurs thoughtfully.

"My mommy said not to trust police," I say frantically, leaning forward. "She said the government doesn't know I exist, and if they find out, they'll hurt me!"

"Oh!" Shiori exclaims, brown eyes wide. "You're right, then." Her face grows as she leans forward and kisses the top of my head. "We'd better not do that. I think the sooner I adopt you, the safer you'll be."

"Mmm, Shiori-san, you're really going to adopt me?" I ask. She seemed to come up with that pretty quickly. I wonder if she thought it through.

She smiles. "It wasn't a hard decision to make, dear. You're a very sweet girl, and I already love you very much. Plus, I think Shuichi could use a sister. He doesn't make friends very easily, and maybe you could keep each other company."

I smile, happy that Shiori said she loved me.

"I'm back, Mother," Kurama says, coming through the door. "I've brought you apple juice." He hands her the bright green can and her change. Shiori smiles and holds the can in her hands thoughtfully. I then realize, about the same time Kurama does, that it'll be hard for her to open. He moves to take it from her, but she just shakes her head. "I can open it for you," he says.

"Oh, yes dear, I was just thinking what you two will do tonight, since I've got to stay here," she muses, handing him the can. He pops the tab open and returns it to her. "You two have school tomorrow."

"We can go back home ourselves, Shiori-san," I offer. "I remember the way we came."

"It's a bit of a walk dear," she replies, "plus I worry about your safety." She frowns thoughtfully, probably thinking of neighbors to come and get us. I don't imagine that she's coming up with many. As a working mom, she probably doesn't know nor speak to the neighbors often.

"We can call you as soon as we arrive at the house, Mother. We can take a train back," Kurama offers. "We should be fine if we're careful and stay in populated areas." His tone is not appropriate for his apparent age. He's too firm and too well-spoken.

Shiori doesn't seem to notice though, and frowns again. Finally she sighs and nods, seeing no other alternative. She explains which train we should take to get home and where to go from there. She digs in her purse again and hands Kurama some cash for the tickets. Then, her eyes level with ours and she suddenly looks very firm, and so very  _mom_ , that it surprises me for a second. "Make sure," she says quietly, "to call me when you get home." Then she writes down the room number and the number of the nurses' station outside on a small piece of paper and hands it to me.

We nod and say our goodbyes, and Shiori gives us each a hug and a kiss. Her smile is very bright when Kurama wraps his little arms around her neck, and I file that away to comment on later. We leave her room with a smile and a wave from me, and Kurama shuts her door. He looks down at the floor for a moment, but when he notices me looking at him, he shakes his head and smiles slightly.

"Are you still being silly?" I ask, pulling on my coat as we make our way down the hall.

"If being concerned for her is silly, then yes," he replies coolly. Kurama obviously doesn't appreciate me being nosy or my accusatory tone.

"That's not what I meant. Just stop punishing yourself." I do believe he is still agonizing over his new feelings toward Shiori, but I don't say anything more about it, and he doesn't either. He'll have to work it out himself, I suppose.

We leave the hospital and head to the train station. It's even colder out than it was earlier, and I pull my hood up around my blonde hair, trying to stay warm. In my old life, I lived in a much warmer climate. Even in December, Texas still had warm days.

The wind blows through me as we make our way down a surprisingly empty sidewalk. Looking around, I don't see a soul. I look up at the dark blue sky, punctured with hues of pink and orange as the sun sets, trying to judge the time. It should be about six o'clock, and people should be on their way home from work. I turn to Kurama, looking for any signs of tension in him, figuring that he would sense anything out of the ordinary before me. His mouth is pressed in a line, but his eyes are downcast. He looks like he's sulking.

"Hey, Kurama," I say, feeling odd saying his demon name. I realize that it was his name used throughout the series, but I really got used to calling him Shuichi-kun. It sounds cuter for him at this point, anyway. Kurama looks up at me, green eyes flashing with realization as he examines his surroundings.

"I see," he responds. The street beside us and the buildings and sidewalks ahead of us are completely empty. I would not bat an eye if a tumbleweed blew in front of us. "This is not a good thing."

A dark feeling grabs my heart – the same feeling I get when there's a demon around. "I'm not sure where he is," I say, "but he's close. I can sense him."

Kurama's green eyes focus intently on my face. "Can you sense a power level?" he asks, seemingly knowing that I'm talking about a demon.

I close my eyes and try to focus on the energy that I'm sensing. I never could see them with my eyes open. He feels small and red. I can tell that he's already noticed me, because I can sense him wanting to swallow my energy and do me harm, which is what most demons want when they realize you know they're there. I examined him a little more, but I could tell that he wasn't very strong. He was the bottom of the barrel when it came to demons.

"Small and pathetic," I say, and then frown. "He shouldn't be able to have anything to do with clearing out the streets."

"Could there be something you're missing?" Kurama asks, eyes darting around.

I sigh. "It's possible. A friend from my first life had a demon guardian for awhile, and I could never sense him. He was able to hide his energy from me. According to her, he was taller than my house and quite powerful. I kind of wondered if she just wasn't full of it after awhile." I can feel the smaller demon coming closer. I wonder if I should even bother with him, but then again, if he doesn't attack me, he could always go after someone else. Like a child. A real one.

Kurama sighs. "Let's just keep walking. Whoever is doing this will reveal themselves soon enough."

"Could the demon I sense just be spying?" I wonder aloud to him as we walk.

"It's possible," he replies. "I am a very interesting target, and so are you."

"I suppose I could change his mind," I say. "He's hiding in an alley, I think."

Kurama blinks at me in confusion. "What do you mean, 'change his mind'?" he asks.

I give him a slow smile. "I can strip his powers and weaken him to nothing." There, I show Kurama my trump card. I can trust him to not kill me now, so I feel all right about it. Good vibes have never let me down before.

His eyebrows shoot up into his bangs. "I did not realize you were capable of something like that, Alice."

I grow thoughtful. "Well, unless what happened to you - regarding your powers - has happened to me, I should be able to do it at least. It would be good practice anyway."

His expression becomes closed and observant. I can feel him working out the fact that if I could do something like what I claim, I could be a great danger to him.

"Not like I plan on doing anything to you," I add, giving him a half-smile. "If you were concerned."

He doesn't reply, but I can see him filing that away for the future. "Which alley?" he asks, turning to face the buildings, apparently deciding to trust me for the moment.

The buildings that stretch along side of us are mostly red brick and wood. The one closest to us is a small office that's connected to a boutique aimed at mostly teenage girls. The lights are on inside, and I can see people moving around the racks, which makes me feel a bit better. Between the boutique and the next building, a café, there is a small alleyway. But there is also another alley on the other side of the café, and that one was a bit bigger. I move to the closest alleyway, where I'm pretty sure the demon is hiding, and Kurama follows close behind me.

As I turn the corner, I stop in surprise. Kurama almost walks into me, but he catches himself and slides beside me, facing the alleyway with me. "What's wrong?" he asks, eyeing the small figure on the ground.

"I – I can see him," I say. And I  _can_. The demon is small and red like I imagined, and he is probably about my height as a child and would come up to my upper thigh as an adult. His skin is a matte red, a bit dusty. His limbs are thin and spindly, and his face is round with two big black marble eyes. His mouth stretches as he sees us, revealing a row of pointed teeth. "I can only see them when I close my eyes, otherwise they just look like shadows," I add. "It's just different. I'm not scared though," I assure Kurama. I know better than to be scared of demons. They feed off fear.

"I see," Kurama says thoughtfully. "It may be the influence of my demonic energy, but we can't be sure."

"Well, your theory makes the most sense to me," I say, turning back to the demon. "What are you doing here?" I ask him.

The demon flashes his pointed teeth again. "Wondered when you were going to take notice of me, human. Ain't you scared? I could rip you limb from limb. Make you do things you'd never dream of doing."

" _What_  are you doing here?" I repeat, pulling the familiar feeling of anger over me. Anger is what feeds my ability to strip a demon of its powers, and I'm very good at getting angry if I do say so myself. Kurama seems to sense the change in my energy, and he shifts away from me, watching me curiously.

The demon doesn't appear to take notice of me and looks mirthfully at Kurama. "And if it isn't the great Youko Kurama," he comments, amused. "Stuck in a weak, human body without an ounce of his powers. You couldn't defeat even  _me_  now, could you, Kurama?"

"Yes, please  _do_  continue to underestimate me. Although, I'm not the one you should be particularly worried about," Kurama says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "I think you will make a very good guinea pig for Alice."

I flinch at the guinea pig reference, and that doesn't go unnoticed by Kurama. His red eyebrow ticks up and I shake my head, deciding to explain later.

The demon turns his black marble gaze back at me and shows me his teeth. "This  _human?_ " he spits, amused and insulted. "What could this weak low-life  _slug_  –"

I feel my blue eyes widen as my power snaps forward and snakes around the demon. The demon struggles in the grasp of my power, but the viridian coils only tighten around his small red body. He hisses and writhes, but to no avail. He can't get free. The coils only grow tighter with another wave of my anger, and then suddenly there is a  _pop_ , and the demon and the viridian coils dissipate into thin air.

After a beat of shocked silence, Kurama says, "I don't think that constitutes as stripping his powers, Alice. In fact, I think you killed him." His green eyes slide over to me, calculating. "I am going to assume that this has never happened before."

I huff, eyeing the spot where the demon was. "No," I say, "it hasn't. Usually I just weaken them to a point where they have to leave or go into hibernation. I've never  _killed_  a demon before. Honestly, I didn't really think they could die."

Kurama raises an incredulous eyebrow at me. "After meeting me, why would you think that?"

I feel my face grow pink at my stupidity. "Oh, right. Um, well before you then. Because of the Fallen."

"The Fallen from heaven?" he asks. "You  _are_  talking about the betrayal of God, and the casting out of angels from heaven, right?"

I nod.

"Those are only legends, Alice. Nothing more," he says, shaking his head. "They don't exist in this world."

I frown thoughtfully. Perhaps then the Fallen don't exist in this universe, not like in mine. There was too much evidence in my world, in my old life even, that those sorts of demons existed. The demons that I had come across in my old life were descendents of the Fallen, which is probably why I've never killed one before. The demons of this universe do not have the blood of angels. They don't have the immortality that the demons of my universe do.

"Hm," is all I say to Kurama on that matter. "Then that clears up a lot. Your energy must be feeding into my abilities, which is the only reason that I can think of that I ended up killing him." I shrug. I'll let Kurama believe that then, and maybe he won't question it too much.

"I suppose." He glances at the setting sun. "We should hurry home. Mother still expects a phone call, and we are running a bit late."

I nod in agreement, and we get out of the alley and back on the sidewalk. After a few minutes of walking, we make our way to the train station. Kurama buys the tickets to our neighborhood, and then we hop on a train to take us there. Luckily there aren't a lot of people on the train, and we can sit down on the plastic seats and look out the window.

"Oh," Kurama says. "Why did you flinch when I told the demon he would make a good guinea pig?" He looks at me curiously, the passing lights glinting off of his young face.

"Because I thought about animal testing," I reply. "I'm firmly against it. It's completely cruel." Don't think I'm some wingbat nutjob hippie, but I really find animal testing repulsive and generally scientifically misleading. The poor animals are often ruthlessly tortured all in the name of "science" and "medicine", and don't have any say in it at all. I mean, I understand that doctors and scientists don't want to test on other humans right away, but one can't ignore the cruelty that animals face because of it.

"Ah," Kurama says. "I've noticed that you push your meat around your plate at dinner and don't eat it. Are you vegetarian?" he asks. He seems genuinely curious instead of condescending, and I'm grateful for it. I faced a lot of discrimination in my old life because of my eating habits, but it might have been different if I had lived in a place like California instead of Texas.

"Vegan," I reply.

Kurama made a thoughtful sound. "Why?"

"Health reasons, animals, political reasons, and environmental reasons. Plus, I really, really hate the meat and fur industry. If I go into detail, I'll end up in an angry rant," I say with a smile.

His mouth quirks upward in an amused half-smile.

"What?" I ask.

"You just killed a demon. And you're vegan."

"Are you the vegan police?" I demand.

* * *

Okay, so I am getting worn out writing in present tense. Seriously, so next chapter is going to be in past tense and so on for the story. Hope that doesn't seem too tacky, but it's taking me longer to write that way, so yeah.


	4. Waiting Games and Realizations

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Four: Waiting Games and Realizations**

* * *

The cuts on Shiori's arms healed and scarred, and time went on for me. We finished third grade and went into fourth. Shiori was promoted to a higher position at the publishing company where she worked, and suddenly insisted that Kurama and I should take piano lessons. I'm not particularly sure why she thought of this, but if I had to guess it would be due to the influence of someone she worked with. However, she seemed adamant about it, and I've always like music.

We took our lessons from an older woman who lived on our street. She was German, and her Japanese was broken and but her English was good. Her name was fairly hard to pronounce, so I usually called her "Frau" which meant something like "ma'am or Mrs." in German. She taught me and Kurama a few German words and phrases, along with the piano, to keep our time together interesting.

I loved learning the piano. I've always had a very good ear, and I could sing a bit, but I had never taken any musical lessons before in any of my lives. My mother could never afford it, and I would've never dared to ask her.

Kurama seemed to enjoy the piano as well, but I got the feeling that it was merely another thing for him to perfect. Perfectionist.

I found out, a couple weeks into our lessons with Frau, why Shiori was interested in us learning to play the piano. I went exploring in the backyard one day and got into the shed, curious to see what was in there. Underneath a few boxes and plastic tubs sat a dusty, black, baby grand piano. Judging from the dustiness of the boxes and tubs verses everything else in the shed, Shiori had recently moved them into storage. I was guessing that she saw the piano and thought it should be put to use.

I asked her about it at dinner that night, which made Kurama blink in surprise and Shiori look down at her lap, sheepish.

"Well dear," she began, glancing at Kurama's curious face. "Shuichi's father played the piano, which is why we have it. While I was pregnant, we had it moved into the shed so that Shuichi wouldn't hurt himself while he learned to walk." She looked up and smiled. "I just thought it would be nice to have the piano in the house again, and it seems you both enjoy playing it."

I grinned at her. "Yes! When can we move it in the house, Shiori-san? I can help move it too."

She chuckled. "I don't know about that, sweetheart. You're terribly tiny to be trying to move something so big. I'll have some friends from work come over to help out. Hatanaka-san seems willing enough."

Kurama's eyes narrowed at the mention of this "Hatanaka-san".

"Oh!" Shiori's brown eyes widened as she was struck by a memory. "And I have to file adoption papers." She smiled at me. "Soon you'll authentically be Minamino Alice, dear."

"Yay!" I cried cheerfully, getting up and hugging Shiori.

* * *

The next day when Kurama and I came home from school, we found two men in our kitchen. Shiori was sitting at the table with them, serving tea and laughing at one of their jokes. The one closest to the entrance was short, round, and had a black beard and mustache. The man closest to Shiori was tall and lean, with huge eyeglasses that made him look a little dorky. Shiori stood up as we came in and greeted us, offering a snack.

I, figuring that I should be more excited about the piano than meeting strangers, shook my head and bounded into the living room where I saw the now shiny piano. It stood in the small nook of the far end of the living room, where Shiori's houseplants previously bathed in sunlight that came from the surrounding windows. It was a bit overcast, so there wasn't a lot of sun coming through this day. I climbed on the bench and pushed on a key and quickly found the piano to be completely out of tune.

"Nice," I deadpanned. "Oh well." Guess I'd have to meet the two strangers after all. I got down and went back into the kitchen, and found a frown on Kurama's face as he stared at the tall, dorky guy. "What's wrong?" I asked him quietly.

Shiori interjected before Kurama could respond to me. "Alice, please greet Hatanaka-san and Omaya-san." She sounded a bit irritated, like I should have done this before running off into the living room. Good, the little girl act is working.

"Oh, hi and welcome home," I said, flashing the silly little girl smile. "Did I get it right, Shiori-san?"

Her mouth twitched like she was trying not to laugh. "Sort of," she replied.

Hatanaka looked a bit awed. "So, this is the little girl you're adopting? She's just as exotic as Shuichi-kun. They're very adorable, side-by-side, Shiori-san." His smile was genuine. "Where does Shuichi-kun get his looks, by the way?"

"Oh, Ichirou – my late husband – his mother was from Switzerland," she replied.

Omaya grunted, looking at his watch. "We'd better go Hatanaka. Don't want to miss the Tokyo Giants."

"Oh, uh, right," Hatanaka said, glancing at Shiori. "Um, Shiori-san, I'll see you tomorrow at work then?" he asked, getting up from his seat with Omaya.

Shiori nodded, smiling. "Of course."

Hatanaka looked relieved.

 _Ah. I see why Kurama's frowning now,_  I thought smugly.

Shiori showed them out and bid them good evening. When she came back, she ushered us upstairs to do our homework while she made dinner.

Kurama didn't stop frowning, and I followed him into his room. "So…what's so terrible about him?" I asked. "Is it because he's a dork? Dorks aren't very scary you know." I bounced on the bed.

He shut the door and stood in front of it, folding his arms. "I want her to be happy, of course, and he seems an all right enough man, but I still don't like it."

"Mm, why not?" I asked. "Is it because you want her all to yourself? Are you really that clingy, Kurama?" I bounced off the bed and smiled at him. "You're really possessive, aren't you?" I suggested, breaking character. Pretending to be a little girl was actually more tiresome than you'd think.

His green eyes narrowed at me. "Don't go too far with that assumption, Alice," his voice quiet and threatening. "I also have a tendency to throw away what I don't need."

I pinched his cheek. "You're not so scary, demon, especially in that body. Grow up a little bit more before you threaten someone," I chided, letting go of his cheek and shot forward to tickle his ribs. He caught my hand before I could make contact and squeezed it warningly.

"I'm not in the mood to play your games, Alice," he said, green eyes flashing. He advanced on me, and for a split second, there was a glimmer of hard gold in his gaze. Like mist in a forest, it wove through the greenery and dissipated.

"Kurama," I began, feeling a little unnerved. "Are you getting your powers back?"

He let go of my hand and stepped away. "You don't have to act like a child when we're alone. I know what you are, so you don't have to hide it from me." He turned away from me. "As for my powers, you know what I am. I grow stronger every day."

"Kurama?" He turned over his shoulder to look at me expectantly. "Am I your enemy?"

I watched a thought flash through his eyes, like he was calculating something. And then he smiled. "We're on very mutual terms, Alice. So long as you never betray me, I have no interest in throwing away something that could prove to be beneficial in the future. You have an interesting ability, you know."

I sighed. "I know. I should be an exorcist."

"Right," he said, and somehow I got the feeling that that wasn't what he was talking about at all.

* * *

We learned more about Hatanaka over the next few weeks. He had a son, also named Shuichi, but he was younger by three years. He was divorced from his wife for various reasons. He lived a couple of streets over. And he was also dating Shiori.

She sighed and gushed all over the house, on the phone to her mother, and especially to us. She really needed some girlfriends. I tried to be nice about it and put myself in her shoes, trying to remember what falling in love was like, but unfortunately remembering only irritated me. It was hard to be my age and a little girl of eight. I should be out partying and living it up, but instead I was stuck as a small child, and I felt robbed of the fun I should be having. I wanted to be out falling in love, going on dates, and dancing, and maybe make out with a stranger or two. Also, I had to deal with a throbbing psychological craving for alcohol. As soon as I turned twenty-one, I practically became an alcoholic, and the desire to drink when stressed or happy was so overwhelming sometimes that I had to go shut myself up in my room so as not to blow up at someone.

I was craving what Shiori had. I wanted to be twenty-two again. I was so incredibly jealous of her, that I vowed to party and go wild once I reached age twenty (again), which was Japan's drinking age.

Since I had no real outlet for this, I started running. The nice thing about Japan is, because of the harsh punishments the government deals out, the crime rates are low. Therefore it's safe enough for a child to go on a mad dash around the house/block/town without having to worry about getting kidnapped. I would run and run until my sides twisted and split, and I hyperventilated, and I could run no more. I ran until I was too worn out to think, or to feel anything. I would run myself numb.

Shiori was a bit worried that I pushed myself too hard, so to balance it out, she was constantly shoving food down my throat. I ate it all happily, as I knew my body was growing and I was burning a lot of calories. She fed me all of my favorite things, like peaches and onigiri, after realizing that I hated to eat meat and fish.

Kurama, as observant as he was, noticed my sudden desire to run myself into the ground, but didn't say anything about it.

Then something occurred to me one day when I was tearing my way through the local playground. I was thinking about my last life and the guy who killed me, and then how jealous I was of Shiori, and how I needed to expunge these feelings from me, and I needed to run faster and faster – when it suddenly hit me.

I was a self-destructive person.

I drank and flirted with strangers in my old life, I told a man to shoot me in the head, I wanted to run out of the haven of Shiori's house and drink my weight in alcohol, I wanted to kiss and sex up men I didn't know, I wanted to go to smoky, shady clubs and dance my heart out on the floor, I wanted to drive recklessly and speed like a demon, I wanted to smoke a pack of Marlboros a day, and I felt the driving need to literally run myself into the ground to control these impulses and desires.

So I ran faster, since I couldn't think of anything else to do about it.

* * *


	5. Black Sheep

**Chapter Five: Black Sheep**

Five years later, Kurama and I were students of Meiou Private Junior High. I really didn't expect for Shiori to insist so much that I go to Meiou, but she did all the same. I want to say it has something to do with her experiences in life, and how lucky she was that she had a good education, otherwise she would not have been able to provide for herself and her son as well as she had. I'm sure she felt that I should never have to depend on a man for a paycheck, and I know my own mother would have felt the same way. So, in the end, I tried not to think about the expenses, and just went with it.

At age thirteen, Kurama and I were in our second year of junior high, and socially, it was a bit hellish.

The students had taken awhile to accept us as a brother-sister pair, but even so, I think they still half-expected us to end up as a couple. Cleary, we weren't blood-related, and we lived in the same house, and we got along well enough. To some girls, it was just a matter of time before we fell madly in love with one another and ravished each other right in front of the class. (And yes, we did have the same class this year. In our first year we were separated.)

This line of thinking resulted in most of the girls alienating me (not that I really cared to listen to thirteen-year-old girls prattling on about their  _problems_ ), and throwing themselves (shyly) at Kurama. This led to the boys in our class, except a few that weren't yet interested in girls, to ignore and alienate Kurama. Unlike the girls to Kurama, the boys were not that interested in the gaijin girl, so I didn't have to worry about slews of confessions. Although it kind of made me think I wasn't very attractive for awhile, but I was sure it had more to do with the fact that I wasn't Japanese.

Though, it was a bit odd that this did not apply to Kurama as well. His looks were different, with his crimson hair and forest green eyes, but he was still quite Japanese when you considered his olive skin tone and the almond shape his eyes carried. He was a genetic oddity, yes, but still Japanese. Whereas I may have held a Japanese citizenship, I was clearly of European descent. My curly blonde hair, white skin, and bright blue eyes screamed  _foreigner_ , and with my appearance came a wall that I couldn't get past with the other students.

The only girl that made the effort to show me actual  _kindness_  was Kitajima Maya. I'm sure that she had a good heart and was a sweet girl, but I really had the feeling that she took interest in me (and Kurama) because we were  _different_. Kitajima was just that kind of oddball. She ate lunch with us most days, and I could tell with every day she sat with us, she fell more and more in love with Kurama. Whenever he looked at her, she turned into a blushing stuttering mess.

It was kind of cute, actually.

Kitajima did try to become my friend, and in a way I wanted to be friends with her, but it was just hard for me because she was nearly half my age. Even though I tried to maintain my thirteen-year-old girl exterior, I found myself turning into an adult around her and occasionally giving her advice. I felt more like her older sister than her friend, more often than not.

Eventually, I began to notice that the other girls in the class ignored Kitajima. Obviously, it was because of the girls' crushes on Kurama. Kitajima hung out with us a lot, and although Kurama treated her no differently than any other girl in the class, because she was by his side so much, it seemed to the other girls that Kitajima was getting special attention. I began to feel a bit sorry for her, but when I brought it up while we were alone, she only waved me off.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "This is what girls do to each other."

I remembered my first years of middle school and dealing with bitchy girls, and had to agree. There is nothing crueler than a teenage girl.

The bell rang for lunch period to be over, and Kitajima wrapped up her bento, but I stopped her before she got up. "Look," I muttered, leaning over the desk, "if it gets any worse for you let me know. Because the next step is for them to corner you in a bathroom, got it?" My tone and words were brash, but I knew she knew that I cared.

She gave me a wan smile. "It won't come to that, Minamino-chan."

I gave her a flat look. "Who are you trying to fool, Kitajima? I'm not stupid, and neither are you, so listen to me when I tell you to be careful, okay?"

_My adult is showing._

Kitajima flashed me a grin. "Fine, fine, I'll be careful. You'd better pack up your stuff before you get into trouble with Miyu-sensei. You know how strict she is." Then she bounced to her seat, sending Kurama a grin as she passed him.

"What's the intense discussion about?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

I frowned, wondering how much to tell him. The room was growing full again with students, so there wasn't much privacy. "Tell you later," I replied. "Can I borrow a pencil? I keep leaving mine at home."

At the end of the day, the bell rang again, and it was time for club activities. Like most Japanese middle schools, Meiou required its students to join at least two clubs a year – an academic club, and a physical club. My academic club was the music club, which had plenty of students, and my physical club was the track club, which also had plenty of students. Kurama chose the science club and the kendo club.

I had track club today, and had Kurama walk with me to the girls' locker rooms so I could tell him my concerns about Kitajima. He didn't seem surprised, and was as concerned as I was.

"There really is no right way to go about it, is there?" he sighed. "If I ignore her, it'll hurt her feelings, and if I tell the other girls off, it'll only make them angrier and more likely to bully her."

"Well," I began, "I am a scary foreigner, so if it comes down to it  _I'll_  step in and make sure they think twice about bullying Kitajima again." I frowned at his frown. "I know you don't like it either, but it is the best way. If anyone lays a finger on Kitajima, I'll break their hand. She doesn't deserve to be treated this way."

His expression turned exasperated. "Do you always rush in to protect the defenseless? You don't have any sense of self-preservation at all, do you?"

I scowled at him. "You don't get it, do you, Kurama? I'll always protect the defenseless. Whether it's a cow, a cat, a baby, or a silly teenage girl, I don't care. If I see someone hurt, I'll help them. I don't discriminate." I gave him a careful look. "If you're just worried about me, don't be. Even if I lose the fight, I'll make them think twice about picking one with me or Kitajima again. I don't have any height or weight advantages, but goddamn it, I am  _fierce_."

I turned to go into the locker room, but I was stopped by him grabbing my wrist. I glanced back at him and saw something in his eyes, and it took me a moment to realize it was pride and satisfaction. However, his words were weighted with concern. "Just be careful," he said. And then he let go.

I nodded to him and went inside to change.

* * *

The sun was warm outside, and spring was definitely in the air.

It was after my track club activites a week after my conversation with Kurama, and I was running again. There weren't many students around, and I was the only one running the track. A teacher had pissed me off earlier by talking to me like I was stupid, and had I retaliated, I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to control my temper. Therefore, I was running it out of my system.

I was broken out of my brooding by a girl calling my name on the other side of the track. I thought she looked a bit familiar, and then realized that she was from the class next door.  _What does she want with me?_  I wondered, stopping in front of her. Her eyes were huge and frantic, I suddenly noticed. "What's wrong?" I demanded.

Her mouth worked for a moment before she spat it out. "K-Kitajima, from your class – there are some girls cornering her in the changing room –"

I didn't listen to the rest of it, and shot toward the changing rooms like a bullet. I flung open the door to the girls' room to find five girls surrounding Kitajima. Her eyes were wide and terrified, and when she saw me, she sighed like she was relieved. "Minamino-chan!" she exclaimed.

"What are you all doing?" I spat, ignoring Kitajima.

They turned to face me, scowls marring their faces.

"Look who it is, everyone," said the girl who seemed to be the leader. "It's the Euro-mutt. The poor, sad bitch who plays on Shuichi-kun's kindness, and calls herself his sister. Your mommy and daddy didn't want you at all did they?"

I just cocked an eyebrow at her. I was too old and too smart to be hurt by her stupid childish words. "You didn't answer my question.  _What are you doing with Kitajima?_ "

They blinked, surprised. They probably expected me to cry or retaliate. The leader frowned. "It's none of your business, Euro-mutt."

I reached out and twisted my fist in her shirt front. "Listen to me very carefully," I said, yanking her close to my face. " _I'm_   _making it my business_."

"Let – let go of me!" she squealed, trying to twist away from me. "We aren't doing anything to Kitajima!"

"You're so full of shit," I replied. I looked over to Kitajima, whose eyes were huge again. "Did they hurt you, or try to hurt you, Kitajima?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but the girl closest to her shoved her before she could reply. "Shut up!" she snapped as Kitajima hit a row of lockers. She whipped around to face me. "Let go of Yuki, Euro-mutt! And get out! We won't play nice any longer!"

Although I was livid at seeing Kitajima hurt, it came out in a weird, devil-may-care fashion. I found myself raising my eyebrows and laughing at her. "Are you seriously trying to  _intimidate_ me?" I laughed. "You're failing miserably, little girl." I dropped my hold on the leader and turned to face the girl properly. I saw Kitajima getting to her feet in the corner of my eye. The girl who shoved her stepped back under my advance, frowning.

It was tense in the room for a moment, and then the leader grabbed my hair and yanked hard. So I elbowed her in the face – or at least I tried to. My elbow ended up in her neck instead, but she dropped to the ground all the same, coughing up a lung. The girl closest to me then darted forward, palm open, to slap me in the face. I caught her arm with my left hand, and punched her in the solar plexus – hard.

It just didn't seem fair. I never fought with slapping and hair-pulling like other girls, not that I had been in many fights before, but I had been smart enough to use my fists at least. Oh well, even if I went easy on them, they should still learn their lesson. Maybe.

The next two attacked me together, aiming to knock me down so they could kick me I guess. I stepped out of the way in time, grabbing one girl and shoving her on top of the coughing leader before she could get back up. The other girl's fist (finally, someone smart!) shot out and caught the side of my cheekbone. She hadn't put much strength behind it, so it didn't put me too off my guard, and I was able to duck under her next swing. I grabbed her ankles, and pulled her feet out from under her. She hit the floor hard and started gasping for air.

And then there was one.

The girl who shoved Kitajima stood with her mouth open in horror and stepped back. Then her mouth screwed up in a scowl and she lunged at me. " _Who do you think you are, bitch?_ " she shouted.

I balled up my right fist and put all of my strength and anger into the punch, and I struck her in the face. She fell back with a howl, holding the side of her face, eyes tearing up. "Yankee-bitch!" she yelled. "Euro-mutt!"

I shook my hand, feeling like I broke my knuckles on her cheekbone. They were red, I noticed, glancing down at them, and possibly cracked. I would have to get Kurama to look at my hand for me. The girl continued to yell profanities at me, so I kicked her in her thigh. "Shut up," I snapped, glowering down at her. She obeyed under my gaze. I glanced at the other girls twisting on the floor trying to breathe. The one I shoved on top of the leader was the one least hurt, but she sat on the floor, wide-eyed and scared. The other girls slowly sat up too, one holding her stomach, the other holding her throat, and the last clutching her head where it cracked on the floor. Their gazes were all the same – fear and anger mixed together.

"I'm not normally a violent person, but you all started it," I said. And then I brightened up. "By the way, Shuichi-kun is going to hear all about this when I get home, if he's not still on campus." I felt my grin grow wider at their horrified expressions. "So, what was the lesson you learned today? Shall I reiterate?" They frowned, chins trembling. They probably thought I might hit them again. I scowled and glowered at them. "Don't  _fuck_  with my  _friends_. Got it?"

They nodded. I grabbed Kitajima and the clothes out of my locker, and we left.

"Minamino-chan, are you all right?" she asked when we got outside and back into the sun. "Your cheek is really red." She reached up to touch the spot where I had been punched and I winced. "Sorry," she murmured.

"It's fine. She couldn't punch very well anyway," I replied, rubbing the tender spot lightly. "Are you going home now, Kitajima?"

She nodded. "Er, yeah. I stayed too long today." She looked down for a moment and then took my hand. "Thanks, for helping me out."

"They were harassing you about Shuichi-kun, right?" I asked. "I don't think you'll have to worry about it for awhile now. Or ever. At least from them." I grinned at her. "Think I scared them enough?"

She laughed nervously and patted my hand. "You were pretty scary Minamino-chan. Your eyes flashed like a demon's a couple of times!" She let go of my hand as we got to the school gate. "I'll see you tomorrow!" she called, turning on her heel and heading home.

Shiori was still at work when I got home, but I found Kurama in his room. He blinked at me for a second when I flung open the door exuberantly. But then his eyes landed on my bruised cheek, my knuckles, and then back up to my cheerful expression. He got up and rummaged around in a drawer for a moment and pulled out a small jar. Turning back to me, he pointed at the bed. "Sit," he said.

I obeyed, and he sat back on his desk chair, rolling it in front of me. "So," he began, opening the jar, "what happened?"

"Well, it happened like we expected – Kitajima was cornered by these girls in the changing room when I burst in," I frowned. "One of the girls from the other classes tipped me off. Anyway," I said shaking my head, "she was cornered and I fought them off basically."

He dipped his fingers in the jar and gently applied salve to the bruise on my cheek. "How many girls were there?" he asked, green eyes focused on my cheek.

"Five."

His hand froze as his eyes slid over to meet mine. "You took on  _five girls?_ " he asked, horror in his tone. "What were you  _thinking?_ " His nose was suddenly very close to mine. "They could have really hurt you, Alice! I know Kitajima was in trouble, but you could have gotten a teacher or a prefect instead of  _fighting them!_ "

I winced at his words. I knew he noticed I had a tendency to be reckless, but this was the first time he lectured me about it.

Kurama saw me flinch and backed away from me with a frown. "Sorry to yell at you, Alice. I'm only concerned. I'm glad you didn't get hurt too badly." He took my bruised and aching hand in his and examined my knuckles. "I can't tell a lot because of the swelling, but I think you have at least two cracked knuckles. What did the girl do to be on the receiving end of this?" he asked curiously, looking up at me.

"She shoved Kitajima into a wall of lockers," I replied, feeling my expression grow stormy. "It pissed me off."

"Was Kitajima all right?" he asked carefully. "She wasn't scared, was she?"

I looked away. "I think she was pretty scared. I think I might have scared her too."

"You do have quite a temper. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," he said, applying the salve to my knuckles. "I'll wrap this for you."

I eyed him suspiciously. My girl senses were tingling about the way he asked about Kitajima. "Kurama, you have a crush on her, don't you?" I accused with a smile. "You totally like Kitajima!"

His eyes widened. "Is it obvious?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "I just know you well enough."

He seemed relieved. "Don't tell her anything. I don't intend to act on it."

"That's a shame," I said, frowning, "but I understand." I touched my cheek, noticing that it wasn't as achy. "Is my bruise gone? What's in that salve?"

"Magic," he returned with a slight smile, pulling out a roll of bandages. "Give me your hand again."

* * *

The town of Asaka began to take on a certain gloom and heaviness a few weeks later. It took me awhile to notice it, because I hadn't been outside in a few days, but one day while I was on a run, I noticed the air felt a little creepy. I stopped on the street and looked up at the sunny sky for a moment with a frown, and then I looked at all the people, and they seemed normal enough too. I began to wonder if what I was feeling was demonic energy in the air, and decided to try and trace the source of it.

Tracing it wasn't easy, especially since as it got stronger, my gut squirmed and twisted and my instincts screamed at me to  _runrunrun_ , but eventually the energy led me out of the populated area and to a more rural industrial area on the outskirts of Asaka. It was strange that it was such a perfect day, and yet the demonic energy was nonetheless oppressing and heavy.

I followed a dirt path through a lightly wooded area and found a charred factory on the other side. It was about five stories tall, and it sprawled across the grounds like a crouching predator. The pinnacle, the nexus, the origin of all the demonic energy hanging over Asaka, came from that old factory.

I didn't go any further. Even  _I_  wasn't that reckless.

I closed my eyes and reached my senses out, trying to see anything that my earthly eyes might be missing. And then, I noticed an apparition above me in a tree. He was black, and he was watching me. I opened my eyes and looked up, seeing the demon and had to choke back a gasp.

_He's here already? So soon?_

He blinked when I looked up at him, obviously surprised that I noticed him, and then gave me a sardonic smirk. "You don't belong here, human." With that, he dropped down on the ground and straightened up in a quick and unnaturally smooth motion.

Whereas Kurama was definitely a bit odd-looking, he could still pass for human. Hiei, on the other hand, could not (not that he would want to). Everything about him was unnatural and inhuman. The most glaringly obvious reason was his eye-color, which was a shocking bright red – like a stoplight. Against his pale skin, his red eyes were even more pronounced, with a lurking threat behind them. His hair did stand up, yes, but that wasn't the style that was odd, it was the color. His hair wasn't a true black. When the sun hit it, undertones of aquamarine became perceivable, revealing his koorime heritage.

"You don't have anything to do with  _that_ , right?" I asked, pointing my thumb back at the creepy factory.

Annoyance molded his features into a scowl. "I have better things to do than send demonic energy all over your backwater town, you stupid human."

"No need to get snarky,  _demon_ , I'm only curious about what's causing this," I snapped back at him, refusing to give him an inch of my pride.

He looked me over with a borderline scowl, taking in my aura, or appearance, or whatever he was looking at and scowled deeply then. "You're such a weak and pathetic idiot. Why don't you run right in there and see what's going on? Perhaps they'll invite you for tea."

I returned his scowl and spun on my heel, turning back the way I came. "I don't have time to play with  _children_ ," I said, looking back at him from over my shoulder.

"That's a lot of talk from a teenage girl," he retorted.

I stopped and sent him a somewhat flirtatious smile. "Appearances are deceiving, aren't they?" I said lightly.

I'm not sure if it was my words, or my change in tactics, but he looked taken aback for a moment. I committed his expression to memory, and walked away, snickering to myself. I half-expected him to follow after me to berate me some more, but that'd be a little out of character for him. He probably considered the few moments spent exchanging insults a complete waste of time. As a matter of fact, so did I.

* * *

"So you've traced the source of this demonic energy…without me?"

Kurama looked like he wanted to tear out his pretty red hair in exasperation while he paced around the room.

"Um," I began, pulling my knees up to my chest to make myself seem smaller. And meeker. "Yes?"

He stopped pacing in front of his bedroom window and leaned forward, putting his forehead on the glass. His ribs widened and his shoulders rose as he forced himself to take a deep breath so as not to yell at me. "So, what did you find?" he asked, still not looking at me.

"An old factory on the outskirts of town – looks like some of it burned down some years ago. I didn't go in though," I said hopefully, getting to my feet and coming around him to his side. "Do you know anything about it?"

"Sounds like the old doll factory," he replied, straightening up and facing me. I suddenly noticed how much taller he had gotten. The top of my head would only reach his nose if we stood side by side. "It burned down a few years ago and about twenty or so workers died in the fire. The building is condemned, of course. Did you see anyone outside of the factory?"

I hesitated, looking out the window.

"Alice, what did you see?" he asked gently.

"I have a feeling you're trying to lure me into a false sense of security," I replied flatly, scowling and glaring up at him.

He looked offended at that. "I assure you, Alice, I will not harm you," he said, leaning against the windowsill. "I won't even yell at you. Promise."

I considered this. "Fine. I saw a demon. All I did was trade a few insults with him though."

Kurama sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't do dangerous things like this. Searching out the source of a demonic miasma, and then trading insults with the apparitions that caused it.  _Honestly_." He shook his head. "I just don't understand you, Alice."

"I can take care of myself, you know," I retorted, hands curling into fists.

He met my eyes with a sad sincerity that made me freeze. "Not completely, Alice. You may have the power to hurt or kill demons and other entities, but remember that you were killed by a  _gun_. You are human, and you are fragile. And me telling you to be careful is pointless, because you  _won't_  be careful. You don't listen to me."

I didn't have anything to say to that.


	6. Magic

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Six: Magic**

* * *

Kids started to disappear from the class within a couple of days after running into Hiei. Obviously I knew he had nothing to do with it – not that my  _Yu Yu Hakusho_  knowledge was all that up to par – but I remembered Hiei's character enough to know that he wouldn't go after defenseless people…eventually anyway. I also remembered that this was the doing of one demon who I couldn't really remember anything about. And also Kitajima was supposed to get kidnapped.

However, because of my presence in this realm, I couldn't be sure what ripples I caused. I didn't want to upset anything, or cause anything to go the way it shouldn't. Therefore, it was only logical that I could not allow Kitajima to be kidnapped in case something went wrong and the demon killed her. This, however, led me to shadow Kitajima, mostly because I couldn't remember at what point she had been kidnapped. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice or mind.

We all sat in class during one break, and some of the kids brought up the subject of the ones missing. I listened carefully while pretending to read a novel at my desk.

"Again?"

"Yeah, some students have disappeared again."

"They ran away while we're crapping ourselves here? I'm gonna go too!"

"I've heard a couple kids had disappeared too," a wavy-haired boy claimed.

The girl next to him shot her hand up in the air. "Maybe they went to the next town, or Tokyo. The local area's pretty boring."

The boy turned to her and laughed in her face. "Yeah right, as if they had the balls for that. Be more realistic."

The girl looked offended for a moment, but then her gaze caught Kitajima sitting on the desk across from them. "Well, at least I'm not as credulous as Kitajima Maya!"

I sighed in annoyance and went back to fake-reading.

"Ah! Minamino-kun, what do you think?" I heard Kitajima ask.

"They might have just left on their own," I heard Kurama murmur.

"Booooooring!" Kitajima exclaimed. "That's not it. There are lots of other possibilities! Aliens? Ghosts? A black hole? A sect?"

"I think that's a bit unrealistic," Kurama replied.

"Huh? Don't you watch TV? There are aliens living among us!"

I heard the wavy-haired boy growl and looked up to see him glowering at Kurama. He sunk in his chair, sulking. "He's not funny at all."

The girl beside him gave him a slightly eager smile. "You'd better give it up. It's no secret that Maya-chan has a crush on Minamino-kun."

This only seemed to make the boy angrier. "What a creep wearing his school uniform on a Saturday! I  _hate_  him." He grabbed an eraser beside him and chucked it at the back of Kurama's head.

"To tell you the truth," Kitajima was saying, "I'm a bit psychic myself."

Kurama's hand snapped the eraser out of the air before it hit him, and he turned it over in his hand, looking at it quizzically.

The boy and the girl were both clearly shocked, and I quickly looked down at my book and pressed my lips together in an attempt to stifle my laughter. It didn't quite work though, and the boy swung his head to look squarely at me and sneered. The girl beside him grabbed his arm and shook her head, leaning over to whisper in his ear. Whatever she told him seemed to surprise him, and he looked back at me curiously. He frowned.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

He got up and strode over to me, stood over my desk and folded his arms. "Michi tells me you got in a fight a few weeks ago."

I found myself giving him a confused look. "You're just now hearing about this?"

He looked miffed. "Doesn't matter. You're lucky you didn't get expelled for that, huh? Why didn't you?"

Oh, so this was his game…trying to get me into trouble, was he? I stood up and gave him a slow smile. "Couldn't tell you. Maybe God smiled down at me?"

His expression was equally challenging. "Maybe the proper authorities don't know about it?"

I remember being called into the office and reprimanded. It had taken awhile, and hearing from Kitajima, but they finally came to the conclusion that putting me on probation was better than expelling such an excellent student. I knew good grades would help me. "They know," I replied. "Did Michi-san tell you how many girls I fought?"

He frowned. "She said twelve, but I don't believe that."

I blinked at him. " _Twelve?_ " I demanded. "I'm not Wonder Woman.  _Five_  would be the correct number."

He scoffed at that. "I don't believe that either," he said, looking me over. "You're too scrawny to be that strong." He grabbed my wrist, closing his hand around it. His fingers overlapped, showing me how tiny and weak I supposedly was. "See?" he said.

I twisted my wrist out of his tight grasp. "Don't touch me, asshole," I snapped, giving him a little shove to get him away from me. "Or you'll find out exactly how scrawny I am."

He scoffed again and reached for me, but a hand caught his wrist.

Kurama stared at the boy, green eyes perfectly serious. "I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, Tasaka."

Tasaka blinked at Kurama and then scowled. Before he could retort, Kitajima started scolding him.

"Tasaka-kun! What are you doing to Minamino-chan? You should be ashamed of yourself – being so rough with a girl!" she chided, face dismayed that Tasaka could be so rude.

Tasaka's face turned a strange color. "But Maya-chan! It's not right that she's still here even though she got in a fight! She should be expelled!"

Kitajima immediately came to my defense. "Minamino-chan got in that fight to save me from getting beat up and harassed! She protected me!"

Tasaka was agape with shock, and then looked ashamed. "Oh." His hand went back down to his side. "Sorry, Minamino," he mumbled, sounding very disingenuous.

Kitajima gave me an expectant look. "Thanks," I replied, just as insincere.

Kitajima smiled. "There! All better."

Tasaka went away to his seat, and Kitajima went back to her desk to get her things together as the bell to end the day would be ringing soon.

"Thanks for helping," I said to Kurama. "Since I'm on probation and all, I really can't be caught doing anything wrong."

"Of course," he replied. His eyes were far away though, and I could tell that he was preoccupied with something. Probably the missing kids.

"Let's get our stuff, shall we?" I said.

The bell rang as I said it, and all of the kids darted out the door. Kurama and I packed our things as Kitajima waited for us, and then we walked out into the already empty hallway. Since today was Saturday, there were no after-school activities, so there weren't a lot of people hanging around.

"Oh!" Kitajima exclaimed, rifling through her bag. "I forgot something in my desk. I'll catch up with you two in a minute!" And then she turned and darted back the other way.

"Must have been pretty important," I said. "I think I'll go back with her –"

"You've been following her a lot lately, Alice," Kurama commented. "Not that I mind, but I'm just wondering why?"

I gave him a completely innocent blink. "It's just what girls do?"

"I see," he said simply. "Then you aren't concerned anymore about anyone harming Kitajima?"

This time my blink was authentic. "Of course I am. In addition to that, who knows where these missing kids are ending up? What about that old doll factory I checked out? You know as well as I do that there's something weird in the air, and the source comes from that –"

A gravelly voice interrupted me. "Kurama…"

We spun around and saw a splotch on the floor mold into an ugly head with horns and fangs.

"Kurama…we're gonna kill you. And then this town will become part of our jurisdiction."

I gave Kurama a pointed look, silently asking him if he wanted me to blow this thing into smithereens. He shook his head. "Hedoki, have you forgotten that before, half-dead, you said you wouldn't step foot in this town again?"

This seemed to make the head-demon angry. "I'll kill you!" he roared. "I don't need to be ordered around by you! I have a strong ally on my side!"

Kurama made a slight-of-hand move to attack him, but the head-demon was surprisingly fast and jumped through the glass window across the hall, laughing his ass off. Kurama frowned.

"I'm guessing you two have some history," I commented.

"Yes," he replied, offering nothing more. He was preoccupied again.

"What was that?" a small voice said behind us. "Was that a demon?"

We turned and saw Kitajima. Her brown eyes darted on each of our faces, seeing our surprise. "That was my first time seeing something like that! It was horrible."

"What are you talking about?" Kurama attempted, trying to appear calm. "Maybe it was your imagination?"

Kitajima grinned. "If you're trying to deceive me, it's no good! I clearly saw it, and I think you did too. Not only that, you were  _speaking_  with it! I'm really impressed, you should go tell someone!" Her hands folded together over her chest as she continued excitedly. "Ever since I met you, I knew you were special! I've always waited, searching for a person with that kind of power, and I finally found him!"

What am I? Chopped liver?

"What's more," she continued, "it happens to be the person I'm in love with! How dramatic…like a scene from a movie!"

Kurama looked stunned.

Kitajima blushed.

"I'm going to leave," I announced, trying to hold back my salacious grin. "See you lovebirds later."

They both turned a bright crimson, and I left the hallway, cackling.

I decided to go home and change into something a bit more athletic. I felt like running today for some reason. I felt like something was going to happen, and the nervousness that feeling gave me needed to be exhausted from my system. Kitajima would be safe with Kurama, so I knew that I didn't need to worry about that, but still, the anxiety was building. It was unpleasant.

I reached the house and swung open the door, announcing my presence. Shiori called from the kitchen, and I found her at the sink, washing vegetables. "Alice-chan, how was school today?"

"Fine," I replied, giving her a crinkly-eyed smile. "Shuichi-kun is getting confessed to right now."

Shiori stopped what she was doing and turned to look at me. She seemed surprised and concerned. "Is he now?" She frowned at me. I imagined she was concerned about the girl confessing, so I told her about Kitajima being a very nice girl, and that she had nothing to worry about.

"Oh," she said. "Well, I'm sure she is a sweet child and all, but I wonder…if it's all right with you, Alice-chan," she suggested, watching me carefully.

I blinked. "I'm not jealous. Shuichi-kun won't go out with her anyway. He's not interested in dating yet." Did she think that I liked him or something? I wondered if she imagined us getting together and falling in love when we grew up. I supposed it would make sense. I already had the same last name. It seems like Shiori-san had been reading too many romance novels again. "Is Hatanaka-san coming over today?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Not today, he has to work late," she replied, turning back to the sink.

"Do you want any help?"

She shook her head. "I don't have much to do. Just throwing together some leftovers."

"Okay, Shiori-san. I'm going for a run then," I said, shouldering my bag higher and turning to go upstairs.

Her voice stopped me. "Alice-chan, if you…ever were to fall in love with Shuichi-kun…I would be happy."

I knew it. I didn't really have anything to say to that though, so I just went upstairs and changed.

* * *

Running felt good. It was exactly what I needed. The afternoon sun was warm, the breeze was cool, and the sound of my sneakers hitting the pavement matched the beating of my heart. I decided since no one was using the track at the school today, I should use it. Most people don't normally appreciate me tearing through crowds. Not that our neighborhood was all that crowded, but it was Saturday and all – people were out and about.

Finally I tired myself out, and went over to the sinks and rinsed my face off, cooling down. I cupped my hands under the faucet and drank until my stomach sloshed with water. Shutting the faucet off, I pulled the hair tie holding my hair in a ponytail out and popped it around my wrist. Fluffing my curly blonde hair with one hand, I made my way out of the courtyard and off the school grounds. I turned down the wooded path that most of the students used to bypass the main road to get to the more residential area of the neighborhood. Ahead, I saw Kitajima and Kurama with their bags, walking along the path.

I debated whether or not to call out to them, and finally decided that it would be weird if I didn't.

Before I opened my mouth, they stopped, Kurama turned away and mumbled something. Kitajima's face was full of disappointment for a second, but then she forced a smile and turned away from him. Kurama caught her shoulder, and for a split-second I was horrified that I was about to see him kiss her romantically or something equally awkward, but then I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

A familiar energy was racing toward us.

Kurama and Kitajima were suddenly ten feet away from me, and Hiei stood in their previous spot with his sword drawn, looking furious.

"You were able to evade it?" Hiei demanded.

"Are you okay?" Kurama asked Kitajima, his arms tightening around her.

"I think so," she replied, looking up at him in awe. "How about you? Am I too heavy?"

"That's not an issue right now," he replied, jumping away again, as Hiei took another swipe at him.

I moved into the light. "Hey!" I demanded of Hiei. "Why are you attacking?"

He ignored me, and suddenly Kurama had a leaf-sword in his hand as he set Kitajima on the ground. He traded blows with Hiei, calling for Kitajima to run. She sat on the ground, watching the demons before her fight, completely stunned. Kurama didn't look away from Hiei, but he knew that she hadn't moved. He jumped away suddenly, and Hiei followed.

"I must be dreaming," Kitajima murmured.

I crouched down beside her and took her shoulder. "Hey, let's go Kitajima, hm?"

She nodded blankly. My senses twitched and I turned around, seeing a tall man behind us. His expression was blank, and on his shoulder sat the head-demon from earlier.

Hedoki flashed his fangs at me. "Two is better than one." Then the man's hand hit Kitajima in the head, knocking her out. I rolled out of the way before he could strike me, but I wasn't fast enough and his foot caught me in the ribs, kicking the air out of me. I managed to get to my feet, but his hand wrapped around my throat, and he slammed my head back into the fence along the path, and squeezed.

I felt like I was dying. I don't know if you've ever been strangled before, but it's one of the worst feelings in the world. I forgot that I could kill this demon with a single thought, as my head swam and black spots appeared in my vision. I was reduced to scratching and pushing at the man's hands to get free, and I couldn't even think. Instinct took over as I squirmed and struggled and gagged.

Suddenly though, the pressure around my throat disappeared and I was dropped to the ground in a coughing fit. The demon hovered over me on the man's shoulder and hissed to me: "I'll leave you alive to lure Kurama into my trap. Yatsude-sama will kill him for me. As for the other girl, she'll make a nice present for him, won't she? Girls like her are delicious."

I felt a wave of rage wash over me. My power snapped out around the demon, but before it could squeeze and kill, the man's hand struck me across the face and the pain distracted me from my goal. My head swam and my cheekbone throbbed like it was broken.

Finally, I struggled to sit up, but the demon, his host, and Kitajima were gone.

"Shit," I said, getting to my feet, using the fence as support. "Shit, shit, shit!" I tried to reach out and sense the demon, but I could already guess where he was taking Kitajima. Kurama and Hiei were close by. I followed their auras to a small meadow, using trees for support, cursing repeatedly.

When I came upon them, Hiei was saying, "You're good, what's a skilled guy like you doing working for a creep like Yatsude?"

"What?" Kurama said, surprised. "You mean  _he's_  here?"

Hiei stopped, staring at Kurama. "You mean you're not working for him?"

I interrupted, coming around a tree and into the meadow. "That's what I was trying to tell you  _earlier_." Kurama turned to look at me, blinking in surprise at my disheveled/injured appearance. I shook my head as he opened his mouth to ask about it. "I lost a fight," I told him. I wasn't sure how to tell him that Kitajima had just been kidnapped.

Hiei turned to look at me and scowled, his stoplight red eyes flashing. "You again."

Kurama frowned. "You two know each other?"

"We've met," Hiei snapped. "I suppose she was investigating Yatsude's lair at the time."

"The doll factory," I supplied Kurama.

Hiei suddenly went pale, and blood hit the ground from a wound on his stomach. "Ugh." He went rigid, and then collapsed.

Kurama went to him, rolling him onto his back and covering the bleeding wound on his stomach. I came and crouched beside him, taking Hiei's wrist in my hand. Hiei's skin was hot, like fire – feverish even – but I attributed that to his fire demon heritage instead of actual sickness. I felt around his limp wrist for his pulse, but couldn't find it. I leaned over his face and felt his breath against my cheek. Frowning, I put my ear to his chest, but couldn't hear his heart beat.

"Kurama," I said, looking up at him. "I think he's a zombie."

Kurama gave a little laugh. "No Alice, it's normal. Is his breathing even?"

I nodded.

"Then he's fine. We should get him back to the house and patch him up," he said. His green eyes lingered on my bruised cheek and neck. "What happened to you exactly?"

I looked down at Hiei, thinking. I remembered a tidbit from this arc that Kurama wasn't strong enough to take on Yatsude alone – yet. He and Hiei had to kill Yatsude together. I wasn't entirely sure that I could take on a demon like Yatsude, so taking Hiei's place was not really an option. On the other hand, Kitajima survived in the arc without me interfering, so maybe she would this time around too. All we needed to do was wait for Hiei to wake up and work with Kurama to kill Yatsude. Besides, even if I did have the ability to take Hiei's place, their relationship might not turn into a strong camaraderie like in the series. I needed to keep things as close to the plot as possible.

"I'll tell you later," I finally said. "I think it'll make more sense that way."

Kurama frowned, forest-green eyes narrowing at me. "Alice, I know you may have your reasons, but telling me is probably quite necessary."

"Not really. I don't want anyone to do anything reckless – especially when everything might turn out fine." I pulled blonde hair out of my face to look at him properly. "We just need to focus on him right now," I said looking back at Hiei.

Kurama sighed. "You cannot imagine the conclusions my mind is jumping to."

I wrinkled my nose. "Actually, I probably can. If it makes you feel better, I was only hit." His eyes went to my neck pointedly. "And I was strangled a bit. And kicked in the ribs, but that's all," I said, giving him a slight smile.

He only shook his head. "If you say so. Let's get him up." Kurama had already bandaged Hiei's stomach while I was checking his heart, so I only helped him heft Hiei over his shoulders in a fireman's lift. Luckily, dusk had fallen and there wasn't anyone to see us make our way into the house. Shiori was in her office, working, when we came in, so she couldn't see us. I just called and told her that we were back and were going up to work on our homework. We were lucky that Shiori wasn't a particularly nosy person, especially when she was busy working.

We got upstairs and laid Hiei out on Kurama's bed, and he murmured something in his sleep. "Yukina," he mumbled. "You idiot."

Kurama frowned, pulling a book off of his bookshelf and flipping it open, revealing it to be hollow. He pulled out a seed and it burst into a full-grown plant under his youki. He handed it to me as he unwrapped Hiei's bandages, and stretched out his hand when he was done. I gave him the plant and he crushed it in his hands, juices running over his fingers, and pushed it into Hiei's oozing wound. With that, he got fresh bandages and rewrapped the wound.

"Yukina," Hiei mumbled again. "I'll find you."

Kurama's green gaze focused on the bandage around Hiei's forehead, and his fingers reached and pushed it up. Underneath was a slit, revealing something I couldn't quite make out. I leaned closer as Kurama prodded the slit open a bit more, and drew back, shocked. For some reason, I hadn't remembered that Hiei had a third eye in his forehead. The Jagan glittered in a vibe of electric lilac. It caught my heart in its gaze, like it could see right through me. I found myself looking away, uncomfortable.

Kurama pulled the bandage back in place, looking thoughtful. He turned to me, green eyes fixing to my bruised cheek and throat. "We should take care of your injuries, Alice." He went to his bookcase and pulled out another hollow book, a thesaurus this time, and took out a jar of his healing salve. Unscrewing the lid, he kneeled beside me on the floor and rubbed the salve on my cheekbone.

"Do you think it's cracked or anything?" I asked. "It actually hurt a lot when he hit me."

Kurama frowned, glancing at me before prodding my cheekbone. "It's too swollen to tell. And he? You were attacked by a man?"

Shit. I gave him a half-smile. "Let's not talk about it yet."

He sighed and brushed my hair away from my neck to get to the bruises there. I pulled it together and held it back with my hand as he rubbed the salve over my neck. "I would really like to know what's going on, Alice. What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing that you need to know about now," I replied. "Really, it's better off this way. I'll tell you when  _he_  wakes up."

Kurama's fingers stopped just above my jugular. "What does he have to do with it?"

I debated, glancing back at Hiei passed out on the bed. "I think we'll need his help. You may not be strong enough yet, and I'm too inexperienced."

"How can you be certain that he'll help …with whatever we apparently need help with?" Kurama asked, beginning his ministrations again.

I gave him a sly smile. "I wonder who Yukina is?"

"Apparently someone he must find," Kurama replied. "However, as I don't have the whole picture yet – as you are keeping things from me – I can only guess that you want to go after Yatsude?" He sounded a bit bitter. "I wonder why?" He took his hands away and put the lid back on the jar, having finished applying salve. "You're frustrating me Alice, and I do not appreciate it."

I looked down at my knees. "Sorry, Kurama," I murmured. "I really don't think I should say anything just yet."

He sighed. "We should probably get dinner. Mother will come upstairs with food otherwise, and she can't see  _him_ , of course."

I nodded.

* * *

Hiei woke up – after four agonizing hours of Kurama drilling a hole in the back of my head with his gaze. I really didn't need his help feeling anxious. Kitajima's welfare was worrying me enough already, so much that I had gone to the bathroom and vomited over it. I was never good at holding down food when I was nervous. When I was five and had a Christmas pageant, I threw up all over the stage. That was a fun year.

"You have a fast capability to recover," Kurama said from the wall as Hiei sat up. I sat on the floor next to the bed, absentmindedly flipping through a magazine. Hiei's bright red eyes held the expression of a cornered animal for a second, but as he saw no immediate threat, the expression melted into one of mere alertness. "Only four hours," Kurama continued as Hiei glanced down at his closed wound. Kurama saw the slight surprise and added, "Your wound was so deep that I healed it without asking. Herbs from the Makai are very effective. Also, while you were asleep, you kept uttering a name. Who is Yukina?"

I shot him a look. Why was he pressing so hard for information?

Kurama ignored me. "You weren't born with that Jagan. Your youki must have fallen when you got it. You seem to be very determined to use a Jagan, and you must have a very good reason for daring to do so. What does that girl have to do with Yatsude?"

Hiei pulled on his cloak and sword and scowled at Kurama. "You're very talkative, aren't you? If you hadn't helped me, I would have killed you." His eyes fell on me and he gave a slight smirk. "Herbs from the Makai were used on you too, huh?" His gaze swung back to Kurama. "Humanity softens you, demon."

I tried not to be offended. Really.

Hiei crossed the room and flung open the window. "Instead of a reward, let me give you a word of advice," he said to Kurama. "Your naiveté will get you killed someday."

"Off to fight so soon?" Kurama retorted. "What about your injuries?"

Hiei glanced down at him. "The more he eats, the stronger he becomes."

I sighed. "Shit."

Kurama's eyes pinned me down. "Care to fill me in now, Alice? You've been waiting for…" Kurama glanced back up at Hiei who was looking at me curiously. "I'm sorry; I didn't get your name."

"Hiei," he supplied, frowning at me. "You've been waiting for what now, girl?"

"She's been waiting for you to wake up to tell me the source of her…bruises from earlier. I don't think it actually has anything to do –"

The phone rang, interrupting Kurama. He got up and went out into the hall to answer it.

Hiei pulled his leg back into the room and turned to look at me properly. I stood up, because I knew what the phone call was about, and I felt better on my feet. I could run away better that way. I folded my hands behind my back and looked back at Hiei. "I'm Alice, by the way," I offered politely.

He scoffed. "Why should I care about a human's name?"

I scowled at him. "You can go on ahead. This doesn't have anything to do with you anyway."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Then why were you waiting for me to wake up?"

I gave him a tight smile. "So Kurama –"

Hiei frowned. "Kurama? Youko Kurama?"

I nodded. "Not exactly in his prime, is he?"

Hiei didn't reply, and I heard Kurama hang the phone up in the hall.

"Alice," he said, striding back in the room, shutting the door behind him. "You were with Kitajima last, weren't you? Is that what this is about?" he demanded. "Why didn't you tell me she was kidnapped?" His hands went around my upper-arms and he gave me a little shake, and brought my face up to his as he glared at me. "Do you hate her? Did you want her  _dead?_ "

"Of course not!" I snapped. "Do you know how worried I've  _been?_  Hedoki told me himself that he meant for me to lure you into a trap! How goddamned stupid do you think I am? I'm not about to let you go crusading into a powerful demon's lair alone –  _that's_ why I was waiting for Hiei to wake up." I looked up at him with burning behind my eyes. Why did I feel like crying? Because he was disappointed in me? Because he didn't trust me?

Kurama looked down and then met my gaze again, freezing me with the coldness in his eyes. "Alice, if Kitajima is dead – I will make your life a living hell."

I felt a wave of anger wash over me. "Don't threaten me!" I hissed, yanking out of his grasp and folding my arms around myself. I glared at him. "You don't have time."

He didn't reply, instead turned to Hiei, looking solemn and determined. "I'll be going with you, Hiei."

Hiei glanced at me, and then back at Kurama. "I suppose I'll allow it. Your fighting skills are quite good, so you can make yourself useful." He turned back to the window and jumped out. Kurama followed him without as much as a backward glance.

I plopped down on the floor and put my face on my knees, fighting back tears. This was so stupid. I didn't need to cry – Kitajima would be fine. It just really hurt that after all of this time, Kurama still didn't completely trust me. What did I have to do? I'd been as honest about everything as possible – but I certainly couldn't tell him that all this was nothing but a book and a TV show in my world. I wonder, maybe if I ever came across Koenma…maybe he would have answers for me.

 _Now is not the time for an existential crisis_ , I told myself.  _It's not the time to be sad because some idiot can't trust you. A little girl could die, and here you are, crying on the floor! For God's sake, you're a grown woman – now act like it!_ Get  _up!_

I sniffed and sat up, pulling my hair back into a pony-tail. I got to my feet and went out the door and downstairs to the front door. Shiori was still working in her office, but she likely wouldn't be done for another hour or so. She probably wouldn't notice us missing for awhile. Sitting down, I pulled on my sneakers and opened the door quietly, and crept outside, closing the door behind me gently. I took a deep breath, and then took off, tearing through the fabric of the night.

I can't run fast like a demon, but I can run quite fast for a human. I've had plenty of practice with that, of course. I was the only one on the street, all alone. The lamps above my head shone in the night like white electric suns, guiding my way. The doll factory sat on the outskirts of town – and if I had to estimate – about five or six miles from my house. If I ran hard, I would be there in about forty-five minutes.

I patterned my breathing and ran harder. Usually I paced myself a bit more, but there really wasn't time for that. I took a left into a wooded area – the dark path to the factory. My heart beat in my chest, like German pop music, only more panicked and unpleasant.  _If_  Kitajima died, I would never forgive myself for it. It couldn't be helped though – letting Kurama go in the factory alone wasn't an option either. I made my decision, and I had to stick by it.

After about twenty minutes, I reached the end of the path, crossed the street, and continued toward the outskirts of town. I probably wouldn't be there to witness the slaying of Yatsude, but I might meet Kurama on his way back.

A few moments later I saw two figures up ahead in the lamplight. One looked like he could be Hiei, short and triangular, and the other I saw was Kurama carrying Kitajima as he came under the light. My heart actually skipped a beat so hard that I coughed as I tried to catch my breath. I came to a stop and waited for them to approach me, holding the stitch in my side, and trying to slow my breathing.

"Hello, Alice," Kurama said calmly, stopping before me. His expression was unreadable.

I looked past him to Kitajima on his back. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine," he replied. "You didn't kill her."

The tone he used was calm and placid, but the hard, biting words cut me like glass. I jerked my chin up at him, angrily. "I did what I thought was best. Why won't you trust me?"

His expression darkened. "Alice, I can't even trust you to take care of yourself. Taking Kitajima's life in your reckless hands was further proof that I am right. You are not to be trusted. You are irresponsible, thoughtless, and  _out-of-control_."

I felt my expression go cold. "Fine. I suppose the only thing to do is to live up to your expectations, right?" I said, moving past Hiei and stepping out into the street. It wasn't a busy night at all – only one car had passed me the whole time that I'd been out.

"Get out of the street, Alice," Kurama said flatly. "I don't have time for your childish antics."

I scoffed, turning to face him. "Go take your girlfriend home like a good little boy, Kurama. Do what's expected of you."

He sighed. "There's no need to be satirical. Come on, get out of the street."

"Piss off," I said, turning away from him and walking down the street. "Maybe I'll make it to heaven this time," I called over my shoulder.

"Why are you allowing her to carry on like this, Kurama?" I heard Hiei say disapprovingly. "It's unbecoming of a demon for a human to have any power over them. Why don't you just kill her and be done with it?"

"Alice may be…like this…but her powers are quite useful. And also my mother loves her," he replied, putting more emphasis on the last sentence.

I sighed, defeated. Shiori always wins. Even if Kurama didn't give a shit about me, Shiori loved me, took me in, and treated me like her own daughter – I couldn't hurt her. I turned to make my way back to the sidewalk – I could hear a car coming anyway. I didn't really feel like dying again so soon.

And apparently the car was coming a lot faster than was legal. A hot hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me on the sidewalk just as the car zoomed by. Hiei's stoplight eyes flashed in mild annoyance as he looked me over and dropped my wrist. "What are your powers anyway, human?" he asked dryly. "Getting killed?"

I stood before him feeling like a wet noodle. I was taller than him – but only by a few centimeters. "Actually, it's the other way around," I replied absentmindedly. I blinked when he did. His surprise snapped me out of my daze, and I cracked a smile at him. "It's an interesting skill. I think any human aware enough could do it, but it's something next to impossible to teach."

"You're speaking in riddles," he retorted.

"I kill demons with my mind – basically," I answered. "It can't really be explained."

"Alice can squeeze her energy so tightly around demons that they explode," Kurama rudely offered.

I sent him a glare and turned around on my heel, walking away. "I'm going home," I called over my shoulder. "Thanks for the help, Hiei. I owe you a favor and all that." With that, I picked up the pace and left Kurama and Hiei in the dark behind me.


	7. The Mission

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Seven: The Mission**

* * *

Kurama was staring at me like I was a four year old. His arms were folded, and his head was tilted slightly to the left, and his forest green eyes were narrowed at me. His growing red hair skimmed his shoulders; ends pointing at me like accusing shame-on-you fingers. His aura was dark with disapproval as he stood in my doorway.

I could see why he was displeased. I had been refusing to talk to him, or look at him (unless Shiori was around), for over a month and a half. I assumed that he would be fine with it, since he clearly had no respect, trust, or concern for me whatsoever. And it wasn't even that I actually cared whether or not that he would be fine with me ignoring him, I was just so furious at him I couldn't stand to look at him. I was still hurt from the way he treated me about Kitajima's kidnapping.

I turned back to my homework on my desk, putting my back to him. Reaching over, I flicked on the switch to the lamp to see my book better. The sun that had been lighting my bedroom for the greater part of the Sunday was beginning to set, casting glowing orange hues on the white walls. "Is there something you need?" I asked, setting up an algebraic problem in the corner of my math book.

I heard him sigh and close the bedroom door. I felt him approach me and suddenly my chair was jerked sideways. I was swiveled around to find his face in front of mine, glaring at first, but after seeing my surprised and disoriented expression, his eyes softened and kneeled on the floor in front of me. "I know that you're angry with me, Alice," he said gently, "but it's time for you to get over it. Mother has begun to notice the rift between us. Surely she has said something to you?"

I could feel hot electricity shooting around my head as I glared at Kurama. "Stop using Shiori-san against me. It'll get old one day, and I won't give a damn anymore. What will you do then?" She  _had_  brought it up, but only in passing, like she wasn't that invested in what was going on between us. Maybe she thought it was some sort of sibling spat. Or as convinced as she was that we should be together – maybe a lovers spat. Anyway, he didn't need to involve her.

He frowned, upset. "Don't say things like that."

"Don't treat me like a child," I snapped, turning my chair back to my desk. His hand caught the back of it though, stopping it from going anywhere.

His eyes were downcast. "I apologize. My treatment of you  _has_  been less than cordial." The setting sun turned his skin orange. "I want to make amends with you, Alice." He looked up at me, and I found myself warming at the sincerity in his eyes. His wrist skimmed my shoulder when he pulled his arm back down to his side. "What is it that you want from me?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "More than anything?"

He gave a serious nod.

"I want you to trust me," I said, facing him properly.

He frowned and looked away.

I felt a wave of anger at his reaction. "Is it really that hard?" I demanded. "I'm a grown woman, for crying out loud!  _Before,_  I was taking care of myself quite nicely, in fact!"

"Why exactly did that man kill you, Alice?" he asked, green eyes flashing at me.

I flinched. I still hadn't told Kurama the whole story behind my death, and with his current approach, it wasn't going to happen. Obviously, he thought it was pretty shady. I ignored his question. "If you want to make amends, then you're going to have to start trusting me, Kurama," I said flatly, meeting his eyes.

He sighed, and I could still see his reluctance.

I could feel my eyes getting a familiar burning feeling that comes with holding back tears. I cradled my head in my hands, hurt and frustrated. I sniffed, trying to hold back the tears, but they got away and slipped through my fingers. My head felt tight with congestion.

"Alice," he murmured, and I felt his hand stroke my hair. I heard him get to his feet, and his hands wrapped around my wrists, pulling them from my face, and dragging me to my feet. He wiped my cheeks, which I disliked, so I pulled away from him. It made me feel too vulnerable. I've always hated when guys do that. He frowned as I turned and wiped my own tears away.

"Leave me alone," I mumbled. "You clearly don't give a damn, so just go away."

"Don't assume things like that, Alice," he said frankly, reaching out and taking me by the arm. "I care about you quite a bit."

"It shows," I muttered.

He pulled me against him and wrapped his arms around me. My face was pressed against his chest so that I could hear his heart beating underneath his shirt. He felt warm and sturdy to me. Kind of like a tree. His head dipped down and his pressed his mouth to the top of my head. "I'm sorry," he murmured into my hair. "I didn't realize I was hurting you so much. Sometimes you're so stoic it's hard for me to see your pain." He turned his head to his cheek was resting on my hair. "I think this is the first time I've seen you cry, actually. It shouldn't be like this though, should it?"

"No," I replied, looking up at him. I liked this gentler side of Kurama. "I guess I should cry more," I joked, giving him a slight smile.

His expression turned worried. "I don't think that will be necessary, Alice."

"I'm kidding."

He returned my half-smile. "Of course you are." He looked away. "I can't promise that I will trust you, but…I can try. That's all I can do for you right now." He let go of me and stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Trust takes time. Sorry, Alice."

"That's fine," I murmured, pulling my chair out and sitting back down. "If you're doing your best, then I won't ask for anything more."

* * *

I was standing beside Shiori when she first put her hand to her forehead. We were in the kitchen. I was chopping vegetables, and she was stirring soup on the stove. At first, I just thought that she was hot from the boiling water and I went back to chopping my carrot. I heard her give a soft noise, and I turned back to her, and saw that she was squeezing her eyes shut and her hand was clutched at her temple.

"Shiori-san?" I asked. "Do you feel all right?"

She turned to me, soft features pulling into a frown. She seemed a little pale. "I've had a bit of a headache all day, dear. If you could take care of dinner, I think I'll lie down and rest."

I nodded. "Do you want some medicine?"

She shook her head. "I've got some upstairs to take. Don't worry." She sent the spoon down on the stove and left the kitchen, leaving me alone.

I frowned, dumped the carrots in the pot, and turned it down to simmer. Setting the cutting board and knife back on the counter, I left the kitchen, went upstairs, and opened Kurama's door. He was at his desk working on something and didn't look up when he heard me enter.

"Shiori-san isn't feeling good," I said.

He turned to me. "What's wrong?" he asked with a frown.

I wandered over to him. "Seems she's had a headache all day. She looks kind of pale too. Maybe you should go check on her? We could spike her tea with herbs or something, if we need to," I said, folding my arms and touching my chin.

His expression softened. "I'll check on her. Do you want any help with dinner?"

"No," I said flatly. "You make everything entirely too spicy. I hate crying and eating." Kurama always pours cayenne or chili sauce or hot curry into whatever he's eating, and he's very liberal with it when he makes dinner too. And let me tell you, I've eaten a lot of spicy things, especially in my last life between all the Tex/Mex, and Cajun – boudain, salsa, gumbo, fajitas, etouffee, and don't get me started on the crawfish boils (this is mostly my pre-vegetarian days, of course) – but everything Kurama makes trumps it all. I feel like dying whenever I eat something he cooks – and I'm a Southerner.

He looked amused.

* * *

"And so, if you take this number here and multiply it by x –"

The door to the classroom slid open, and a blonde lady poked her head in, stopping the teacher's lecture. Mitani-sensei turned to the door; hand still in midair, clutching the chalk. He frowned at her. "Yes?"

She seemed sheepish. "Um, I need Minamino."

Mitani-sensei sighed. "Which one? We have two."

The lady spotted us. "Er, they weren't specific, but I think just Shuichi-kun will do. I didn't realize they were in the same class. It's just a phone call," she added.

Kurama got to his feet, frowning. He tossed me a look that I couldn't decipher and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Mitani-sensei returned to his lecture, grumbling, annoyed that he was interrupted. I took notes on what he was explaining, but after about ten minutes, my mind began to wander when Kurama didn't return. I'm quite an imaginative person, and I have a tendency to jump to the worst conclusions first, so by the time the lecture ended and the bell rang for lunch, I had already imagined that our house burned down, a train derailed and Shiori was on it, there was an earthquake at Shiori's office (she had quite a commute, actually), and a host of other equally awful things.

Eventually, as I was clearing my desk of notes and preparing to comb the school for Kurama, a girl from the class next door came into our room and stopped at my desk. She looked uncomfortable. "Um, Shuichi-kun stopped me in the hall when he was leaving. He said to tell you to come to the hospital straight away."

I felt stunned. One of my horrible thoughts came true. "Did he say why?" I demanded.

She looked down. "Only that your mother's there."

I flew out of my seat and out of the classroom. Shiori-san was sick? She did have that headache the other day – what if she had an aneurism? I shook my head and ran down the hallway. I couldn't think about that. I quickly changed my shoes and slammed my locker shut, turning and running outside. The hospital wasn't too far, maybe a mile. I could run that.

Out of the school's courtyard I ran, down the road, darting through people. I stopped at a crosswalk, waiting impatiently for the sign to let me go. People gathered behind me, waiting for the light. It changed, and I darted into the street without looking to make sure the cars had completely stopped. That was my mistake, unfortunately.

The first car (van, actually) was already stopped, blocking my sight to the lane beside it. As I passed the first car, I heard the screeching of brakes and the car in the second lane slammed into me. It took my legs out from under me, sending me up onto the hood, into the windshield, and dumped me like a ragdoll back onto the pavement.

I didn't see this from my body though. I watched it from outside of myself.

I stood over my broken body, shocked, as everyone else started screaming and creating a circle around me. The driver of the car opened the door and ran away terrified, leaving the scene. I noticed a familiar face in the crowd around me. A tall guy with a bright blue school uniform on, with wiry orange hair, and strong features.

Kuwabara Kazuma frowned down at my body, and then looked up – right at me.


	8. Cannonball

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Eight: Cannonball**

* * *

Kuwabara's small eyes were twice their usual size. He looked in horror from my injured, broken body on the ground, to the me that was standing above everything, observing it all in disbelief. His hand hovered over my body's wrist like a metal detector, gathering the courage to touch me and check for a pulse. I moved closer to him, looking down at myself.

My body's head was bleeding. The blood pooled around me, staining my yellow-blonde hair and the pavement I was crumpled on. My arms and torso seemed alright, a little bruised, but that didn't mean I didn't have any internal bleeding or a spinal cord injury. My left leg was very obviously broken, but my hip seemed to still be in it's socket. My knee was mottled and purple. My other leg was whole, but scraped and bruised too. I tried to observe myself clinically, so that I could keep myself sane.

I turned to Kuwabara and gave him a weak smile. "I was going to the hospital anyway."

His brow furrowed and he grimaced, taking my wrist and feeling around for a pulse. The surrounding crowd seemed to hold their breath, and then Kuwabara looked relieved. "She's got a pulse, but it's pretty weak," he said loudly. "We gotta get her to the hospital right away!" He took a proffered handkerchief from someone in the crowd and held it over the cut on my head. With that, he scooped my body up in one arm and hauled me up against his shoulder. Even though Kuwabara is basically the strongest human alive, and I didn't weigh very much at this point, I was still kind of impressed at him one-arming my slack body.

"Hold my body really still," I told him as he straightened. He glanced at me and gave me a slight nod to let me know he could hear me. "There's no telling if there's any damage done to my spine, or any internal bleeding, so try not to let me get too jostled, okay?"

"Okay," he murmured.

I gave him a slight smile. Kuwabara was really big and tall, so it was kind of hard to keep in mind that he was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old kid.

"Everybody, get outta the way!" he yelled, taking off at top speed.

I quickly followed him, feeling myself slide through people. Everyone I slid through gave a little shudder, like a cold breeze cut through them. I tried to avoid bodies around me after I noticed that I was making everyone uncomfortable. Luckily, it wasn't too hard since Kuwabara parted the way for me.

We made it to the hospital in record time, and Kuwabara kicked open the door, yelling for help, disturbing the waiting room. One nurse ran toward him, while another got on the phone and called for help. A stretcher burst in from the hall, along with a male in scrubs. I wasn't sure if he was an orderly or a doctor, but I doubted he was a nurse. Women's work and all that.

Kuwabara laid my body carefully on the stretcher and stepped back as a group of people in green scrubs surrounded me. I stepped back next to him and watched the doctors and nurses push the stretcher through the doors and disappear behind them. A nurse approached Kuwabara with a clipboard and asked him if he knew anything about me.

"Uhh," he began, eyes sliding over to me.

"Minamino Alice is my name," I offered. "My family should already be here. Minamino Shiori is my mother."

Kuwabara relayed this back to the nurse and added everything about my accident. The nurse nodded and said she'd let my family know that I was here. Kuwabara turned back to me curiously. "You look completely gaijin."

"I'm adopted."

"Oh. Should we look for your family then?" he murmured as an orderly passed him.

I nodded, but then froze when my eyes landed on Kurama stepping off an elevator. His radiant green eyes were dull and he moved past the nurse's station like an old man. He couldn't have heard about me already, so something must be really wrong with Shiori. I felt a wave of anxiousness.

"Erm, that's my adoptive brother right there," I said to Kuwabara, pointing. "His name is Minamino Shuichi. Can you…?"

He gave me a short nod and approached Kurama with a serious expression. "You're Minamino Shuichi, right? I'm Kuwabara Kazuma. I've got some bad news for you - about your sister."

Kurama paled. "What happened?"

Kuwabara looked uncomfortable, and I sent him a silent sorry. "Well, um, she got in a car accident. She's pretty banged up and I don't really know how bad it is. I tried to bring her here as quickly as possible."

Kurama's hand went up to his forehead, a sign that he was feeling a particularly strong emotion. I heard him mutter "stupid" under his breath.

"Idiot," I returned. Kuwabara gave me a strange look, but I shook my head. "You might as well tell him that I'm here having an out-of-body experience. I know I'm not dead, or even all that close. I've been dead before, so I know."

Kuwabara frowned and turned back to Kurama. He started off by telling Kurama that he could sense spirits and then proceeded to tell him that I was there and I wasn't dead. He broke the news to him carefully, like he was afraid that Kurama might not believe him. I encouraged him by letting him know that Kurama was also involved in the paranormal.

"So, right now, Alice is having an out-of-body experience?" Kurama reiterated. His brow was furrowed, concerned. The fluorescent lights washed out his complexion, making him look wan.

"I was out of my body before the car hit me," I said and Kuwabara relayed it.

Kuwabara frowned and turned to me. "Wait - that's really weird.  _Before_  the car hit you?"

I nodded. "I must have been. I saw the car hit me from an outsider's point of view, and then I realized I wasn't in there anymore. Maybe my higher consciousness sensed it coming and kicked me out?" The mind will do amazing things to protect itself.

"I guess that could happen." He turned back to Kurama and told him what I said.

Kurama gave a considerate nod. "Alice would know. She's psychic too."

"By the way, what's going on with Shiori-san?" I asked, realizing in my own accident I had completely forgotten about her. "Is she all right?"

"They aren't really sure," Kurama replied sadly, after Kuwabara asked him for me. "They're running a lot of tests on her, but no one has any idea. It seems very serious though."

Kuwabara frowned. "Sorry to hear about that, man." He continued to look uncomfortable.

"Sorry for dragging you into this, Kuwabara-kun," I said. "You're a really big help, you know? You probably saved my life." I gave him a small smile and watched him turn red and look away.

"S'not a big deal," he mumbled. He glanced back at Kurama. "Er, your sister was just thanking me is all."

Kurama gave a slight smile. "I see. We both are grateful for your help," he said, giving a small bow.

"Minamino-kun!" a nurse called, running toward us. She stopped in front of him, trying to catch her breath. "Bad news! Your sister is in trauma - it seems she was hit by a car. We're doing what we can to stabilize her. Her leg is broken, she's lost a lot of blood, and she's got a concussion, but she should pull through all right. It seems like the car was braking when it hit her, so that minimized the possible damage a lot."

"Is she still unconscious?" Kurama asked. I had a feeling he was asking so he could validate whether or not Kuwabara was telling the truth.

"Yes," the nurse replied. "She hasn't been conscious since she's arrived."

"I see." He seemed satisfied.

The nurse furrowed her brow. "My shift is about to end, but I'll tell the next nurse to let you know when you can see her. Okay?"

Kurama nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you."

I felt a strange feeling in my chest and a twinge in the back of my mind - the same twinge I get whenever I sensed a demon close to me. I knew that I should not be out of my body much longer. Astral projection, the other term for having an out of body experience, was very dangerous for specific reasons. It wasn't so much that demons would try to take your body, but rather your soul. And once your soul was caught in their clutches, you were never getting free, even if your body died. You would not move on to the next world. You would be trapped with the demon that caught you forever.

I glanced at Kuwabara and found him looking at me worriedly. I think he sensed the demon too, but I had no idea where it was. Possibly by my body, as I didn't see it in the waiting room or lobby. If it was by my body, that meant it was going to lie in wait for my soul to return. I sighed, wondering if my powers would work like this. I couldn't think of a logical reason why they wouldn't, but it was still a possibility that I could be in trouble. The demon could be strong enough to cause the machinery to go wonky, or could even manipulate the doctors or nurses to hurt my body so I couldn't return back to it. Kuwabara might not exactly be much help at this point and neither would Kurama if he weren't able to get to my body.

Kurama seemed to sense the atmosphere. "Is something wrong?"

"She really needs to get back to her body," Kuwabara said. He frowned. "But I think there's a demon there waiting for her to return."

Damn, he's good.

"Then it would amount to suicide for her to return there alone, wouldn't it?" Kurama mused. "And of course we can't get to her body until they let us." I could see his frustration. I knew he was upset, but I couldn't begin to know exactly how much. We seemed to be getting hit from all sides today. I wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder, but I knew he wouldn't be able to feel the gesture.

"Today sucks," I sighed.

"Minamino Shuichi!" a nurse called from the admission desk, looking up from a clipboard. Apparently the last nurse had kept to her word and informed the next shift as she said she would. I noticed this nurse was rounder, as Kurama looked up and approached her. She sidled around the desk, eyeing him curiously and I could see why. The melancholy expression his eyes held made him look vulnerable and fragile. For an instant, as hokey as the simile was, I could see Kurama really being like a rose. His expression was so meek that one could never suspect him of being a criminal. Of course I shoved the simile away as soon as I thought of it. I always thought that whole rose/Kurama thing was stupid, and it annoyed me to see it displayed in real life.

"Yes," Kurama answered, stopping in front of her. I stood beside him, awaiting the verdict.

"Erm," the nurse began flipping through the clipboard, and I realized it was my chart. "Let's see, your sister is in a stable condition and resting. She has a fractured tibia, and her knee was luckily not dislocated. Well, if you follow me, I'll take you to her," the nurse offered, moving toward the elevators. Kurama nodded and glanced back to Kuwabara who followed behind him. I stuck to Kurama's side like rice. The nurse continued on the elevator. "She's got a concussion, and a cut on her head. We stitched her up, so she'll be fine. She does have a lot of other cuts and bruises though, so don't be shocked. She's better than she looks," the nurse offered kindly. The elevator doors opened, and she pointed down the hall. "It's room 305. Third room on the right." We got off and the doors closed behind us.

I could sense the demon down the hall. He seemed to feel my spirit closing in because there was an excited spike in his energy. Kurama's nostrils flared as he took in the scent of the hallway. I was certain he could smell the demon too. Kuwabara shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like this," he muttered.

"Have you ever had a run-in with a demon before, Kuwabara?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Just ghosts and stuff. Lately it's been getting kind of distracting though."

I stretched my senses out to the room my body was in. The demon felt about mid-level, or about a low C-class using the Reikai scale of power. He seemed lesser in power to Kurama, which wasn't worrying if I couldn't use my powers. "This one just thinks he's tough," I reassured Kuwabara. "Don't worry. You don't even have to go in if you don't want to."

He looked offended. "As if I would leave a damsel in distress! I have a man's pride, you know! And an honor code!"

I looked away so he couldn't see my amusement.

"Well, Kuwabara, if you'd rather stay out here…" Kurama began, but Kuwabara shook his head, cutting him off.

"I'm not going anywhere but there. I may have never been in this situation before, but I'm not running away and leaving everyone if I can be helpful." His sharp features were serious.

"If you feel that strongly about it," Kurama consented. "This demon is probably a soul-eating type. We'll have to keep Alice's soul out of his reach, so she should stay in the hallway at least."

I shrugged. "That's fine."

Kuwabara nodded for us both, and they approached the third room on the right cautiously. I crept behind them, far enough back so that I would be out of reach, but close enough to see the demon. There was a swoop of nervousness in my stomach.

Standing over my body was a tall, dark figure. His arms were longer than his legs, and his clawed hands dragged across the floor as he paced around my bed. He stopped when he sensed us standing there, and looked up, staring directly at me. His mouth split open in a hungry grin, pointy teeth flashing in the light. His arm came up, reaching for me.

Momentarily fearful, I backed away, letting my power snap out at him. He growled as it stung him.

"I will only give you one warning," Kurama said calmly, reaching back into his shoulder-length hair and pulling out a rose. "Leave this hospital and return to the Makai, or I will kill you." I suddenly felt a bit safer.

The soul-eater growled again. In a gravely voice he said, "Who comes between me and my next meal?" His nostrils flared as he took in Kurama's scent. "You're only a human."

"Not exactly," Kurama returned, youki growing the rose into the whip. "Have you made your decision?" he asked coldly. "I grow impatient."

The demon gave a gravely laugh. "Have it your way human. I'll be back for the girl though."

Kurama's face held an expression of cold fury. His wrist rotated and the rose whip twisted around the demon, thorns digging into its long arms and body. Kurama pulled the whip tighter until the demon roared in fury or pain, and then the whip cut through him completely, splattering dead demon all over the hospital room. "I don't think so," Kurama muttered, whip shrinking back into a rose. The demon's entrails suddenly disappeared from sight.

"That was …something," Kuwabara said, wide-eyed where the demon had been killed. He blinked.

I approached my body laying unconscious on the bed. My left leg was already in a white cast and suspended in the air. There was a bandage around my head and smaller bandages covering cuts on my arms and face. My entire visible body was covered in black, blue, and greenish bruises. I looked horrible.

Kuwabara stood beside me. "Wow." He looked anxious. "You gotta get back in your body."

I had no idea how to get back in. Never having an out of body experience before, and having never asked anyone who had, I was at a loss. I wondered if it was like pulling on a jacket or something. I reached out to touch my body's face and suddenly my viewpoint changed. I was looking up at the room's ceiling and I closed my eyes, feeling dizzy. When the world stopped spinning, I opened my eyes again. I felt kind of numb, but I knew I was definitely back in my body. I flexed my hand, feeling solid.

Kurama's face appeared in my vision. His expression was anxious and then relieved when I met his eyes. I felt his warm hand curl around the one that I had moved, squeezing it gently. I returned the squeeze and gave him a slight smile. "Hello," I said.

His mouth pulled into a smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a car."

His smile widened at my joke. "Fair enough. Are you in any pain?"

I thought about shaking my head for a moment then decided against it. I didn't want find out if my neck was in any pain or not. "Not at the moment," I replied. "I feel kind of numb, like they gave me anesthesia."

His thumb stroked the back of my hand. "They might have given you some when they set your leg."

Kuwabara sidled around the bed. "Hey, Minamino."

"Hey, Kuwabara. You can call me by my given name, by the way," I said. "You did get me to the hospital."

He seemed uncertain. "Okay…Alice. I wonder how long they'll keep you here."

"Dunno," I replied. I saw a nurse approach the door and thought she might be coming in, but she turned into the next room. "I want to try to sit up, I think."

Kurama maneuvered around me and slipped his hand behind my back. I found that I was able to do most of the work myself, although his supporting hand helped. Sitting up and having my leg up in the air was a little bit uncomfortable though. I wondered how to get it down. "Thanks," I said to Kurama. "Can you figure out how to get my foot below my head?"

He chuckled and went to work examining the contraption, getting my leg down within a few seconds. "Better?" he asked.

I nodded. "Do you think I could see Shiori-san?" I wanted to see her right away.

His expression saddened. I kicked myself for reminding him about her condition. "I'll get a nurse and we'll see if you can get out of bed." He left the room.

Kuwabara gave me a reassuring smile. "I'll stay with you 'til he comes back. I gotta go soon though."

"All right," I said. "This is pretty weird, isn't it?"

He gave an uneasy laugh. "I have a feeling that it'll only get weirder, you know?"

Oh, but I do, Kuwabara.

I gave him a slight smile instead. "Best not to think about it. What school do you go to?" Even though I already knew all about him, I thought making conversation would make him feel comfortable.

"Sarayashiki Junior High," he replied. "I'm a second year there."

"That's a pretty decent school, I've heard," I commented. "What's it like?"

He shrugged. "It's a pretty normal school." His brow furrowed. "Except there's this guy there that pisses me off. He's kind of a delinquent, you know? Always tries to beat my face in, but I'm gonna let him have it one of these days. Can't stand Urameshi."

I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh. "I guess that's kind of a hassle. There was a girl like that when I was in grade school, and she bullied me a little bit too since she was bigger than me. But somehow we ended up best friends and she didn't bully me anymore," I told him.

He chuckled. "Well, I guess you are kinda tiny. You probably would be a pretty easy target for a bully. How much do you weigh anyway?"

"Rude to ask," I answered.

Kuwabara put his hands up. "Ah, sorry, you're right. My sister would gut me for asking you that."

I gave him a smile. "It's fine." I heard footsteps in the hallway and Kurama walked back in, followed by a nurse with a wheelchair. I glanced at Kurama in question. Was I supposed to ride in that?

The nurse smiled at me. "Look at you Miss Alice, sitting up and everything. I'm glad to see that you're feeling better." Her words sounded strange for some reason and then I realized she was speaking to me in English. Her accent was thick, but she pronounced every word carefully.

I blinked at her. "Oh. Thanks." I realized I said that in Japanese, so she looked a bit surprised. "Er, that is I understand you, I just haven't spoken English in a few years," I added switching languages. "Are you going to an English-speaking country soon?"

She nodded, smiling. "I'm getting married to an American next month. Is it all right if I practice my English with you, Miss Alice?" Then she frowned thoughtfully. "Is it all right to call you by your given name? I know Americans are very forward, so I just want to be prepared."

I nodded. "Yes ma'am, that's fine. I would also be happy to practice English with you too. I need some brushing up, which is sad, considering it's my native language." I glanced at the wheelchair. "Am I riding in that?"

She frowned as she processed my words, and then smiled and nodded once she got them. "Yes, just for now until we get crutches for you. What does "brushing up" mean?"

"It means to practice and improve a skill, like when you brush up silverware to make it shine," I offered, watching her expression to see if she understood the last bit. She giggled when she got it.

"Very funny!" she complimented.

Kuwabara shifted uncomfortably. "I'd better go." I bet all the English was freaking him out, aside from the fact that he actually had to leave.

"Okay," I said, smiling. "I'll see you around, right?"

He nodded. "Sure. If you're still here tomorrow, I'll come and visit." With that, he waved to Kurama and left the room.

The nurse clapped her hands and wheeled the chair closer to the bed. "Okay! Into the chair with you, Miss Alice!" She looked at Kurama pointedly. "Help her into it," she requested in Japanese.

I saw Kurama's mouth twitch into a half-smile as he moved beside me and slipped his arms around me. He carefully hauled me up against him, and time stopped for a moment - for me anyway. Our noses were almost touching as he straightened, and his body heat made me want to crumble into him. When our eyes met, it was like a bolt of electricity shot through me. His arms tightened around me, and I knew that he got the same jolt that I did. If the nurse hadn't been standing there waiting for him to put me down, I'm positive I would have kissed Kurama.

He set me down into the chair with an expression of dismay flitting across his features. It was quickly replaced with a blander expression as he pushed the feeling away.

The nurse straightened out a stand to put my broken leg on and swung me around to head out the door. Shiori-san's room was in another wing of the hospital and on another floor. We made it there fairly quickly, but maybe that's because I didn't have to walk. All I had to do was hang on to my IV drip so that it would roll along with the chair. Not too difficult.

The nurse pushed me into Shiori's room and turned me so I could face her and reach her hand. Shiori seemed to be dozing off, but she woke up when I took her hand. She stared at me for a moment, as if she wasn't seeing me, and then her eyes widened into saucers.

"Oh, Alice-chan," she murmured, free hand going to my bruised face.

"I know," I replied. I looked frightful, I'm sure. "I'm just a little banged up."

She sat up, still in shock. "What on earth happened?" she demanded.

Kurama stepped in. "Mother, don't get too excited please." His hand went to her arm as he stepped around me. I could feel his body heat again and it made me shiver. "Just lie back and relax."

Shiori nodded, seeming to feel tired. "You're right dear. Alice-chan, please tell me what happened. Did someone hurt you?"  _Because I'll kill them_  surfaced in my mind, finishing her sentence. Although, Shiori wasn't the type of person to say things like that.

"No, nothing like that," I replied. "I was crossing the street and didn't see a car coming. Luckily, the person driving was braking and someone took me to the hospital quickly."

She frowned. "Are you in a wheelchair?"

I gave her a reassuring smile. "It's just because I haven't gotten crutches yet. My tibia is the only thing that's broken. All the rest are just cuts and bruises - just superficial stuff." I could feel that she was still anxious.

She looked down and squeezed my hand. Looking back up at me, she said, "You know, Alice-chan, I may not have given birth to you, but you are still my precious little girl. There's no one who could replace you. I'm just so glad that you're okay."

I sniffed. Shiori knew how to make a girl cry happy tears, didn't she?


	9. The Good Ones

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Nine: The Good Ones**

* * *

I was able to leave the hospital after three days and a bit of crutches-training. By the last day I was able to hobble all the way to Shiori-san's room without getting tired. My leg still ached, but they gave me painkillers for that. Kuwabara visited me as he said he would and even brought his sister along. I was really happy to meet Shizuru. It was nice to talk to a girl closer to my  _real_  age, instead of middle-school girls. We made plans to hang out later in the week.

As for the electricity business, Kurama was acting like nothing happened. Then again, nothing really did happen, so I supposed it was fair and tried to push the business out of my mind. I still kept thinking about it though. I wasn't sure if I actually had feelings for him, or I just found him incredibly sexy. I've made those kinds of mistakes before in high school. And I really didn't want to repeat them.

Hatanaka-san also came to visit Shiori and me. He had a car, so he offered to take me home when it was time for me to leave the hospital. After a goodbye to Shiori, with promises to visit, I happily hobbled out of the hospital and clambered into Hatanaka's car. It was kind of a beat up brown thing, and it started roughly, but it seemed to drive all right. Hatanaka told me that he didn't drive it much. It was mostly for situations like this or when he was traveling and needed a car.

"You know," he began after a comfortable silence. "I wouldn't mind having you and Shuichi-kun come stay with me, but my place is pretty small. Do you think you two will be all right alone?"

I gave him a grin. "Don't worry. If any intruders come in to attack Shuichi-kun, I can swing my crutches at them."

He gave a light chuckle at that. "I suppose. Shiori told me that she wrote down my cell phone number beside the house phone. Call me if you need anything, all right?" he said, pulling up to the curb in front of the house.

I nodded and opened the door. "Thanks for the ride, Hatanaka-san!" I climbed out and hopped to pull out my crutches. He watched me to make sure I wouldn't fall over, but I managed fine. I closed the door and gave him a wave before swiveling around and making my way to the house. I heard him drive away as I climbed up to the top step and dug around for my key.

And then I realized I didn't have it.

"Well, shit," I cursed. I knocked on the door, hoping Kurama was home. Of course, I had no idea what time it was or if he was even in school right then, but he didn't answer. I knew he would have heard me if he were in the house. I cursed again and plopped down on the step. I was going to have to wait for him to come home.

I don't know how long I had been sitting there, cursing my fate, but eventually I felt the familiar energy signature of Hiei come within the proximity of my senses. Of all the people that could break into my house, he could probably do it with the most finesse and ease. The problem was, of course, convincing him to do it. I felt him stop on a nearby tree and wondered if he was debating whether or not to talk to me. Calling out would probably not endear him to me. Hiei could be like a wild animal sometimes. You just had to let him come to you.

His energy flickered and he was suddenly in front of me, stoplight red eyes flashing against his pale skin. His expression was contemptuous as he looked me over. "Where's Kurama?"

"Hi, Hiei," I said pointedly. "I'm not sure. He might have left a note inside about where he went." I looked down at my hands. "I'm locked out of the house, so I'm waiting for him to come back and let me in."

His eyes narrowed. He wasn't stupid.

"I suppose, considering you are a lot more athletic than I am at the moment, you could slide open a window upstairs and unlock the door, right?" I frowned. "But maybe you shouldn't go through Kurama's window. He might have set a trap or something. He's tricky like that."

He raised an eyebrow. "So you're suggesting that I break into your house? Tch," he scoffed. "Honestly, humans are the strangest creatures. What makes you think that you can trust me in your house anyway? Blind faith alone?"

"Are you hungry?" I asked, ignoring his sarcasm.

He blinked at me, surprised. "What does  _that_  have to do with anything?" he spat.

I shrugged. "I was going to offer you something to eat if you were. You probably wouldn't like Kurama's cooking. Unless you like a volcano in your mouth and crying, and  _nobody_  likes that. It's humiliating. Further proof that Kurama's a masochist, of course."

Hiei just blinked at me and shook his head. "Just tell Kurama that I'm looking for him." He turned to leave.

"No," I said flatly.

He stopped and twisted around to look at me. "No?" he demanded, eyes flashing. "What do you mean 'No'?"

"As in, if you don't break into my house and unlock this goddamned door,  _no_  I won't tell him you're looking for him," I snapped, folding my arms. This has just turned into a battle of wills. I knew that Hiei was extremely stubborn, but maybe this way I could at least win a  _little_  respect.

Hiei's jaw clenched in anger and the realization that threats would be useless on me, if simply for the fact that Kurama would defend me. He was angry now, especially because I was a human and way below in class. I wondered if Hiei would ever get over his outdated caste system. Perhaps I should attempt to smooth over the ruffled feathers of someone I hoped to be future friends with.

"Sorry, I don't mean to make you angry or put you on the spot or anything. I'm just tired," I offered peaceably.

His eyes raked over my injuries, but his expression did not soften. Instead he seemed to look more superior as he examined me. "I suppose your foolish tendencies to be reckless are what got you into this state? Can't say I'm surprised. Only a human would be suicidal."

"I'm not suicidal," I said, glaring at him.

"Clearly," he replied sarcastically. "That's why you're telling someone like me, ' _no_ '."

I rolled my eyes at him. "What's it to you anyway? I don't remember you being my mother."

He folded his arms. "If Kurama says you're important, then you are. You're obviously useful for something."

I  _humph_ ed. "So do you consider Kurama your comrade in arms now?" I asked.

He appeared thoughtful. "I suppose. 'Comrade' is a better term than 'friend' anyway. I don't have any particular desire for friends."

No you wouldn't, would you Hiei? "Well, friends will at least have your emotional as well as physical back, don't you think?" I asked. "Of course, there's no need to actually  _get_  emotional or anything, but it's nice knowing that there's someone you can just go be a guy with. And do mysterious guy things. Or something."

Hiei blinked at me. "Mysterious guy things?"

"Well, I don't know what guys do. I'm a girl, remember?"

Hiei sighed and I could see that he was getting tired of me. "Which window would be safest?" he asked.

I pointed out my window on the side and he flitted up and climbed in in the space of a blink. It was quiet for a moment, and then I heard the locks click behind me. I got my crutches under me as he swung opened the door. He stood aside as I came in and let the door slam behind me.

The house seemed a bit lonely without Shiori in it. I staggered into the kitchen and saw a note in Kurama's hand stuck to the fridge.

_Alice,_

_I have after-school activities today_   _so I won't be home until 6. Your homework is in your bedroom and there's a history test tomorrow._

_Shuichi_

I wondered why he signed his human name instead of his real one. Maybe he thought Hatanaka-san might come in and see the note too? I turned to Hiei, who was standing awkwardly in the hallway, and told him when Kurama would be back. I glanced at the clock and saw that there was a half-hour until he returned.

"Those herbs that Kurama used on you before," Hiei began, "where are they?"

I blinked at him. Now that he said something, Hiei was holding himself awkwardly. "Are you hurt?" I asked, creeping toward him. "Let me see."

Hiei scoffed at me. "Like I need your help. Just tell me where they are."

For a second, I wondered if Hiei was being kind to me in his own way. He probably knew that the salve was in Kurama's room and taking in my condition, he doubted that I would be able to climb the stairs properly without falling over. I knew Hiei's character well enough by now to know that his kindness was harsh. I gave him a slight smile. "On the bookshelf in Kurama's room, there's a hollowed thesaurus. In it there's a jar of healing salve. That's what he's used on me. Do you need bandages too?"

He gave me a skeptical look. "Where would those be?"

I was sure that Kurama had some bandages in his room, but I had no idea where. We also kept some in the kitchen's first aid kit. I went to the cupboard under the stove and pulled out the rather large white box and set it on the table. "If you get the salve, I'll help patch you up."

I heard him scoff again as he flitted upstairs. I ignored him and popped open the box, pulling out a roll of bandages and searching for a metal hook to keep them in place. He came back downstairs just as quickly and set the salve loudly on the table, irritated. I finally found the metal hook I was looking for and waited for him to take off his cloak. He swung it off and tossed it on one of the kitchen chairs. He wasn't wearing a shirt underneath, but I assumed that was because it was June and hot.

His stomach sported a particularly gruesome open wound, one that had seemed to stop bleeding only a while ago. It was likely because Hiei was a demon and had a much faster healing time. He unscrewed the lid of the salve and scooped out a large glop and spread it over the wound, without bothering to clean it or anything. Then again, with the combination of demonic healing powers and Kurama's epic salve, I supposed it wasn't necessary.

I unwrapped the bandages and decided I could reach his stomach easier if I sat down. Crouching was a bit impossible for me, even though Hiei and I were about the same height at this point. He moved closer to me and let me wrap the bandages around him.

In the anime, Hiei is shown with bulky, almost difficult muscles, but in reality he was much more wiry and lean. He definitely wasn't an eyesore, that's for sure. But then again, I am a grown woman here and have a lot more control over my blushing than the fourteen-year-old I looked like would. I thought about other things, like the history test tomorrow. Maybe if I pulled an all-nighter, I could ace it. I can't say that I'm  _not_  smart or sharp, but I'm not the kind of genius like Kaito Yuu is, for instance. I'm more common sense smart with an excellent memory than an Einstein, I guess.

I heard the front door open as I smoothed out Hiei's bandages and pulled them tauter. "Welcome back!" I called, pulling the bandages in another circle around Hiei's torso.

"I'm home," Kurama replied, coming around the corner and stopping at the sight of me wrapping Hiei up. He collected himself, probably realizing what he was  _actually_  seeing was much more innocent than what he thought at first.

Stupid Kurama.

I pulled the last of the bandages around and snipped the end with scissors from the box and used the metal hook to secure them. I think that I did a decent job since Hiei didn't criticize me.

"Hello, Hiei," Kurama said as Hiei picked his cloak back up and pulled it back on. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Hiei glanced back at me, probably remembering my remarks about Kurama's cooking. "I have better things to do than eat your horrible food, Kurama. Your human claimed that it's much hotter than necessary."

Kurama blinked and gave me a baffled look. I just gave him a sweet smile in return. "I can of course control the amount of spiciness if you are so adverse to it, Hiei," he said, ignoring me.

"Don't believe him, Hiei," I intervened, packing up the first aid kit. "He gets absentminded when he cooks and before you know it, he's dumped half a bottle of chili sauce in whatever he's making and then actually  _expects_  you to eat it. This is a man that puts  _cayenne_  in  _miso_."

Hiei gave him an incredulous look. "In miso, Kurama? Really?"

"Perhaps you should cook, Alice, since you don't care for anything I make," Kurama said, looking miffed.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I don't have time for that. I have to study and play catch up, don't I?  _Someone_  didn't bring me my homework when I was in the hospital." I stood up and got my crutches underneath me.

Kurama sighed and picked up the jar of salve, dipping his fingers into it and rubbing it over my cheekbone. "Hold still," he told me when I winced. I wasn't expecting him to do that. "Of course I assumed that you would prefer to recover while you were in the hospital, and after informing the teachers of your plight, most of them will not expect anything to be turned in tomorrow. The history test will be postponed for you as well."

"Well, that's nice of them," I said grudgingly, letting him rub the salve over my cut up and bruised arms. "I still need to finish the homework anyway, so you should make something for yourself at least."

"You're not eating?"

I shook my head. "These painkillers kill my appetite. I'll eat something later." I really wasn't hungry, and Hiei was watching me like I was some interesting science experiment. It was kind of unnerving. I wanted to go upstairs and get started on my homework anyway.

Kurama finished with the salve and screwed the lid back on it. "If you're going upstairs, will you put this away?"

"Sure," I replied taking it from him and putting it in my pocket. Now to face my new nemesis - stairs. I had a general idea of how I should get up there. There was only one flight and I could easily toss my crutches up to the landing and scoot up backwards. It worked the way I planned it.

As I was making my way up while trying not to bang my leg on anything, I heard Hiei say, "Your dynamics with your human are interesting. Although, she's argumentative and stubborn enough she doesn't actually belong to you, does she? What is your relationship exactly?"

"Why are you so interested, Hiei?" I heard Kurama ask. His tone carried a note of teasing to it. "You don't even like humans."

Hiei didn't say anything, so I assumed that he was probably glaring at Kurama.

Kurama sighed and finally answered him. "I suppose we're friends." There was a pause. "In addition Hiei, don't assume because I don't actually own her, I won't protect her." I shivered. While I appreciated the chivalry, his tone carried a hidden threat that couldn't be ignored.

I wasn't sure how I felt about Kurama's defensiveness.

* * *

Going back to school was interesting. Although the other students had never really included me in anything, they had never really bullied me either - or tried to anyway. Now they were as helpful as they could be, especially the girls. I'm sure that they just wanted Kurama to look at them and notice how nice they were being to me, but I didn't really care what their motives were. I took advantage of the volunteering and used anyone who offered. Not that I was just taking their help out of revenge or anything, but it would also seem rude if I turned them down.

Kitajima was as friendly as usual, even though she had forgotten any feelings that she had for Kurama, she hadn't forgotten her friendship with me. She talked to me about what I missed in class, the latest gossip, and of course, my accident. Everyone seemed to want to know more about that. I think a lot of people assumed I jumped in front of the car like I was trying to kill myself. I reassured and told everyone that listened that it really was an accident and I couldn't see the car coming.

I caught up on my homework and passed my history test with a 96. History is, frankly, my best subject. Always has been, although my college biology classes were a close second. Having a good memory really comes in handy.

"Hatanaka is coming to pick us up today," Kurama said, standing over my desk as the bell rang. He plucked my bag from the desk's hooks. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, hopping up on my good leg and grabbing my crutches. "I'll ride in the backseat." I could stretch my leg out that way.

Hatanaka-san had been coming to pick us up from school whenever he was able to. It really amounted to a couple of days a week, but it eased the strain that my broken leg put on me and Kurama. What strain would Kurama have, you ask? He forbid me from crossing the streets alone ever again. Now he practically held my hand whenever we went anywhere. And if I wanted to go somewhere  _without_  him, he would insist on walking me there, and then insist on me calling him to pick me up. At first I thought he was just being ridiculous and didn't call him to let him know I was ready to leave a clothing boutique (skirts are much easier with a cast), so I made my way home on my own. When he saw me hobble in the front door, he gave me a kicked-puppy look. Like I hurt him so deeply, that he would never recover from the pain.

He was evil.

Kurama carried our bags and led me down the hallway; kids parting for us like the Red Sea. We made it out of the school eventually and Hatanaka-san was waiting for us as the gate. Kurama opened the back door for me and I more or less hurled myself in the car. I heard him chuckle as he closed the door and I pulled my crutches beside me, waiting for him to get in the front seat. Greeting Hatanaka-san, I straightened myself out and watched Kurama get in the car.

"Alice is excited," Kurama murmured to Hatanaka-san as he pulled off the curb. "She's going to see a friend today."

I was, in fact, going to hang out with Shizuru later. I wanted to get home and change out of my school uniform first. Sure the red was flattering, but it was kind of itchy, and there were school rules about wearing your school uniform outside of school. Like you're supposed to go straight home with it on, instead of going to hang out with friends.

"That sounds like fun, right Alice?" Hatanaka-san said.

They make me sound like a five-year-old. "Yep. We're just going to hang out at her house and visit. Her younger brother was the one who brought me to the hospital."

Hatanaka-san made a satisfied sound. "You'll have to be sure to thank them properly then."

"I will." In fact, I had gotten Kuwabara a Megallica T-shirt already. I found a bracelet that I thought Shizuru might like too. In Japan, it's common to bring gifts along with you when you go to visit people's houses. Kuwabara's gift was of the thank-you variety, naturally.

The car ride didn't last long since the house was only about seven blocks away from the school. Kurama and I got out of the car, thanking Hatanaka-san, and then went inside.

I tossed my crutches up to the landing and sat down on the highest step I could get to, glancing up at a chuckling Kurama. My glance eventually dropped into a mild glare and he stopped his incessant giggles.

"Sorry, Alice," he said, putting his hand down and fighting his smile. "You just look so funny scooting up like that. I couldn't help but laugh." He leaned over me as I moved up to the next step. "Would you like me to carry you upstairs? I know you're in a hurry."

My reaction was so abrupt and immediate that he must have been surprised. "No, I don't," I said, looking down at my lap, feeling the rough carpet underneath my palms. Of course I didn't actually mind him picking me up and all that, but last time that happened…there was a certain passionate reaction that could've ultimately damage our current relationship if I had acted on it. We were fine as we were now. I didn't want to mess things up because of something that might not lead to anything.

He straightened and set his hand on my head. His fingers dug into my scalp as he ruffled my hair. "See you when you're ready to leave then." And with that he walked past me and went into his room, closing his door behind him.

Somehow, I felt strangely disappointed.

* * *

Kuwabara's house was in another neighborhood, but it wasn't too terribly far away. It was about a twenty-minute hobble, or a fifteen minute walk for the folks without broken bones. Kurama walked me of course, but we didn't say much to each other. The silence was awkward, so I distracted myself by appearing to be incredibly interested by everything and everyone we passed. I glanced back at him a couple of times, but his expression was bland and unreadable.

We finally got to Kuwabara's house and Kurama handed me the gift bags that he had been carrying. With a smile, he rang the doorbell for me and left me there. "Call me when you're ready to come back," he said over his shoulder. Something flickered in his dark green eyes before he turned the corner around the Kuwabaras' gate and out of my sight.

I found myself frowning when Shizuru opened the door. She raised an eyebrow at my less-than-happy appearance. "What's wrong? You look like someone ran over your cat."

I stalled a moment, taking in Shizuru. Even though I saw her at the hospital, I didn't see her for very long. She was an incredibly tall person, just like her brother. Unlike him, she was a lot more slender. I bet if she could have been a model, if she wanted to. She was smoking a cigarette while her honey-brown eyes looked over me curiously. I realized that I hadn't answered her question.

"Oh, it's just my face today," I said, politely. "Don't take it personally."

Her mouth quirked in amusement and her eyes fell on the gift bag. "Come inside," she said, stepping back to let me in. "I'll take the bag. You really didn't have to be so formal."

I handed the bag to her as I came over the threshold. "More of a nicety, really. There's something in there for you and Kuwabara. I took wild guesses mostly, so if you don't like it, we'll just have to hang out more," I said, giving her a crooked grin as I slipped off my only shoe.

Shizuru chuckled and yelled for her brother.

"I'm busy!" he yelled back from upstairs. I could hear what sounded like a video game playing.

"Get your ass down here and greet our guest, baby bro!"

I heard him grumble and the video game stopped, like he paused it, and then his heavy footsteps hit the stairs. His face peered over the banister curiously, looking down at us in the entryway. "Oh, hi Alice. What are you doing here?"

Shizuru's bland expression turned stormy at his question, but I cut her off before she could start yelling at him again.

"I came to hang out with Shizuru. Also, I got you something I thought you'd like," I said pointing to the bag in his sister's hand.

"Oh cool! A present!" he exclaimed, thumping down the stairs. Shizuru cuffed him on the back of his head when he stopped in front of me. "Ow! What was that for?" he demanded, holding his head.

"Just expressing my affection for you, baby bro."

I snorted.

Shizuru passed me the bag, and I handed her the little box the bracelet was in, and then gave the whole bag to Kuwabara who immediately pulled out his new t-shirt.

"Oh cool, Alice! I love Megallica!" He held it up to himself and I'm glad to say that it looked like I picked the right size. "How did you know?"

I gave him a pleased smile. "You seemed the type. It's a thank-you gift for everything you did for me." I gave him a slight bow on my crutches.

Kuwabara turned bashful. "Aw, you don't need to thank me! Any decent person would have helped you out."

A surprised 'oh' came from Shizuru as she opened the box to see her bracelet. It was a twisted gold bracelet, understated but warm. Obviously, it wasn't real gold, as I am not made of money, but I could see that she like it as she hooked it around her wrist. When she looked up she gave me a half-smile that quickly disappeared under a deadpan expression. "I hate it," she said. "We'll have to hang out more."

Of course I knew she was joking and I pressed my lips together as I tried not to laugh. "Of course."

"I'm gonna go try on my t-shirt," Kuwabara said cheerfully, turning and running upstairs.

Shizuru glanced at my leg. "Let's go in the kitchen. Stairs are probably your kryptonite right now."

I found myself chuckling at the irony. "You have no idea."

Her eyes slid over to me as we moved further into the house. "That seemed awfully loaded. Wanna spill over some tea?"

I kind of did. "When's your birthday Shizuru?"

She blinked at me as we came into the kitchen. My question took her by surprise. "May fifteenth," she answered, pulling out a chair for me and turning to the stove. I plopped down at the little table, setting my crutches against the wall.

"You're a Taurus," I said cheerfully. "That's excellent. I like Taureans."

Shizuru turned back to me, mouth quirking in amusement. "You strike me as a Pisces, but you're a bit too confident for the norm."

"Close," I replied. "I am a water sign." I'm sure she could guess with that much and I gave her a slightly teasing smile.

"Scorpio," she answered promptly.

"Yup. My birthday's October twenty-ninth," I added, giving her a grin.

She chuckled as the tea kettle started to screech. Placing the cups on the table and dropping the kukicha tea bags in the cups, she carefully poured the boiling water over the tea. Shizuru moved with purpose, not actually quick, but like she was absorbing everything she was doing. Her movements were almost heavy and weighted. She finally sat down in front of me again. "So I would ask you if you want to talk, but I think you're the type to ignore those sorts of questions until you feel like answering them."

She was right. I mean, I did change the subject when she asked me the first time. I shrugged and didn't really answer her.

She changed the subject for me. "It must be frustrating to have a broken leg. The bruises seem to be completely gone though - you look a lot better than you did at the hospital. I really like that color on you, by the way," she said, brown eyes dropping down to the pink sundress I was wearing. "Brings out the blush in your cheeks."

I remembered then that Shizuru was a cosmetologist. I gave her a smile because I knew she was sincere. "Thanks. I don't normally wear dresses, but it's cool and easy to get over my cast."

She leaned forward, examining my face for some reason. "You would look good in blue too, because of your eyes. Though they're more of a sapphire than a bonnet blue. It works for you though - you're a frosty blonde."

I blinked at her. "Frosty?"

She leaned back. "Your skin is cool. I bet you don't tan well."

"I burn up like dry grass," I replied, poking fun at myself. "At the beach I wear SPF 900 and live under umbrellas."

She cracked a smile and took a sip of her tea. "How old are you again? You look fourteen, but you act like you're thirty."

Close again, Shizuru. "I'm fourteen now. I'm actually a little older than Shuichi-kun, even though we're in the same grade," I replied.

Her expression stayed neutral, but I think she suspected my mood had something to do with this 'Shuichi-kun'. "Who is he again?" she asked.

"My adoptive brother."

"The redhead that dropped you off?" She smiled at my surprised expression. "I was watching through the window. His mannerisms seemed nice enough, but I guess there was a certain deceptive aura around him. Not necessarily like he was lying, but like he was hiding something."

"Mm," I murmured, pressing my lips together. There is nothing I like better than breaking into someone's head and figuring out what makes them tick. After living with Kurama for more than six years now, I still haven't gotten as far as I would have liked. Shizuru could probably offer something that I was missing. "You've basically summed him up. Shuichi-kun is a difficult person to get to know. There are layers to him that I've never even seen, but as long as he trusts you, he plays nice."

"Sounds like he has trust issues," Shizuru said, lighting a cigarette. "Not that it's really a bad thing, but what happens if you lose his trust?"

"He becomes very vindictive," I replied, remembering the incident with Kitajima. "He'll purposely say things to hurt you."

Her expression remained neutral as she took a drag off her cigarette. "Sounds like he could be dangerous."

My brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Probably not in the way you're thinking. His anger isn't hot normally. He gets very cold when he's angry. So it isn't like he'll fly into a rage and beat someone up. And then there's the fact that he doesn't actually  _get_  angry almost at all. In fact, I've only seen him really angry once." I took a sip of my now-cooled tea. "It was because a girl he liked was put in danger. The situation turned out fine, but he was very angry at the person who he thought put her in danger for a very long time. Eventually, they forgave each other."

"What did he do that needed forgiving?" she asked curiously.

"He didn't trust the other person's judgment. That person was hurt because of it."

"He sounds protective of the people he cares about," she commented, taking another drag. "Kind of pigheaded though."

I laughed.

"How's your relationship with him?" she asked casually.

"Friendly at best," I replied. "I don't think we have a typical brother/sister relationship, as neither of us wants to be related to the other. We get along, but I could never see Shuichi-kun as a brother."

"Why's that?"

I found myself looking away. "I'm not really sure."

Shizuru leaned forward and ground her cigarette in an ashtray. "You know, Alice, I don't think it would be that unusual to develop feelings for someone you've been living with for so long. I only caught a glimpse of him through the window, and he's definitely easy on the eyes. I'm sure he has a charming personality to go with those looks."

I frowned. "You're right, but I'm not sure if I see him that way. I don't know if it's just a passing attraction, or if they're actual feelings. And for that matter, I don't know what he really thinks of me. I've been through things like this before where I was too stubborn to see that a guy I liked didn't like me back, for all that he was nice to me." My frown deepened.

A small smile appeared on Shizuru's face. "In that case, you've just got to let him make the first move. Give him as many openings and opportunities as you want, but never make the first move yourself. I think that's where you went wrong with the first guy. Shuichi strikes me as a traditionalist, so any advances you make on him probably won't do you any good."

Shizuru did have a point - even in this modern world we all lived in, there are still rules with dating. I know there are a shit-ton of articles talking about breaking said rules - and undeniably breaking them  _sometimes_  works - but for the most part, it's best to stick with the rules and stay as classy as possible. Like my mama said when I was young, "Girls don't call boys". Sometimes, it just looks desperate.

I nodded in agreement with Shizuru. "You're right again."

"You're a pretty girl, Alice. You know?"

"I know," I replied confidently. I have no doubts or illusions about my own appearance. Not to sound conceited, but I already know my good points and my bad points, and how to make the good ones more prominent. I know that my cheekbones are high, but I also know that I have virtually no boobs. I also know that I always look a little bit disheveled, and whether that's good or bad, I'm not really sure. Appearance is subjective, but I am confident in whatever charm my appearance holds to the opposite sex. "You don't have to build me up, Shizuru," I added.

She gave me a smile. "That's good."

We chatted for a little longer and Kuwabara came down later and showed me how his shirt looked on him. I told him that he would have to wear it to one of their concerts and he agreed whole-heartedly. Eventually, I looked at my watch and realized I probably overstayed my welcome. I had been there for two hours when I finally called Kurama.

He was quick picking me up, taking about five minutes, claiming that he had been in the area. Of course he hadn't, but he could move a lot faster without me lagging. I waved and said my goodbyes to Shizuru and Kuwabara and we left.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Kurama asked me.

I forced myself to answer civilly instead of telling him that he sounded like my mom. "I did. What did you do today?"

His skin looked orange in the setting sunlight, and as he glanced at me to answer my question, his green eyes reflected the light. "I went with Hiei to do  _mysterious guy things_."

"Eh, so he mentioned I said something like that did he?" I found myself pressing my lips together to keep from smiling. The fact that Kurama was teasing me said something. Also, if Hiei mentioned me too - what did that mean? He probably just found me entertaining. I wouldn't read too much into that.

"He did," Kurama replied. "I think he secretly finds you amusing."

"Well, that's interesting, I guess." I looked away and then glanced back at him. "What did you guys do anyway?"

He gave a little chuckle. "We just found a remote area and trained today."

"Oh," was all I said. This is the part in fanfictions where the OC wants to see Kurama and Hiei in action, but in actuality, I couldn't care less about watching them train. I've seen them in action in the manga and anime, and I was sure that I'd see them in action later as the timeline moved on. The fact of the matter is, I'm just not into fighting. Maybe when I was younger and had no real concept of death, violence wouldn't have bothered me, but after being a victim myself I couldn't handle things like that anymore. Not casually anyway.

Kurama looked at me again when we turned onto our road. "Shall we go visit Mother tomorrow?"

I nodded. "It's been a few days since we've seen her."

He 'mmhmed' in agreement. "I started rice in the rice cooker before I left. We've got a few things at the house, but I think we'll need to go shopping soon. We're running low on cayenne and miso."

I gave him a playful shove.


	10. Off I Go

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Ten: Off I Go**

* * *

As the year progressed, Shiori's health only seemed to get worse. The doctors still had absolutely no idea what was wrong with her, and Kurama, Hatanaka, and I were stuck helplessly watching her grow thinner and paler as the months passed. Hatanaka tried to be there for us in a parental way, and as kind as his efforts were, Kurama and I ended up telling him not to strain himself. He was trying to do too much at once, with his job, his own son, and dealing with his girlfriend's illness, so he really didn't need to be over at our house making us dinner. He ended up with a fever from stress more than once.

Kurama, I think, took the most pain and responsibility from Shiori's illness. His eyes grew sadder as Shiori grew sicker, and sometimes I heard him cursing himself in his room at night. I think he must have been racking his genius brain over and over again, trying to come up with a combination of Makai herbs to fix her. He didn't actually talk to me about it, probably because he didn't want to give me false hope. He clearly, irrationally, blamed himself for her illness, and no matter what I said, his beliefs didn't change.

I wasn't really sure what to do about anything. I felt helpless and useless, and I didn't want to be sad, so I started seeing her less and cutting my visits shorter. I knew it wasn't fair to her, but I couldn't bear to see Shiori ill like this. It was like she was barely alive.

Kurama seemed to understand my wishes, but he didn't say anything about it to me. We had been talking less and less to each other for some reason. Maybe because facing each other was like facing a mirror - we didn't want to see our sadness reflected back at us.

The next year, Kurama's human birthday passed much like my last one had - I baked a small cake in our toaster oven (generally Japanese homes don't have full-sized ovens), we took it to the hospital, and we celebrated with Shiori. Shuichi turned fourteen and smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes. I took it upon myself to leave the room as much as possible for various reasons, and to take as long as possible while I was out. Eventually, we were able to leave because visiting hours were over, and with a quick hug and kiss to Shiori, I walked out.

I held the remnants of the chocolate cake in a round, plastic bento, tapping my fingertips on the sides as I waited for Kurama to say his goodbyes. The hall I stood in wasn't particularly busy, but it was a terrible blue color. Probably the same blue color as the bento I held in my hand.

Kurama came out after a moment, taking my arm, and walked me down the hall. His face had a crackle of thunder in it as his hand tightened around my arm. "Alice," he finally said, after we were out of earshot of Shiori's room. We kept walking. "Mother is concerned about you. She knows that you're distant because you're grieving, but," he yanked me to a stop and his green eyes flashed with anger, "must you be so  _obvious_  about it? Must you act as if she's a  _pariah?_ "

I looked away from him. "I'm sorry," I said. My words were meaningless though. I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for. I didn't want Shiori to be hurt by me, but I also couldn't be around her. I just couldn't.

His look softened and his hand around my arm dropped to his side. "You've upended the cake," he said.

I looked down and saw that I was clutching the blue bento against my chest like a shield. "Oh," was all I said about it. It was still fine. Ugly, but edible. Not like I had much of an appetite lately.

The air only seemed to grow heavier.

"Let's go home," Kurama finally said.

* * *

I knew something was up when I saw Hiei sitting at our kitchen table. I hadn't seen him in weeks. I had just gotten in from music club activities, didn't feel like waiting on Kurama, so I headed home first.

His red eyes flicked up at me from his laid back position. He was balanced on the chair's back legs, feet propped up on the dinner table, shoes and all.

I felt myself give him a grimace. "We eat there, Hiei. Could you put your feet down?"

He smirked at me and swung his feet to the floor - yet another red flag. Hiei never listened to me. He must have either lost his mind or must have been in an extremely humoring mood.

I found myself grimacing again and turned to pleasantries. "How've you been?"

He made an amused sound in his chest. "Better than you."

I decided to ignore that comment, for the sake of my pride. "I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me." I ignored his dark chuckle as well as I picked up my bag and went to my room.

Something was definitely going on.

I spent the next hour chewing on the end of my pen and studying the chapter on geology we were going to be tested on tomorrow. I had completely forgotten about Hiei by the end of the hour, busy turning words over in my mind and then moved on to my math homework. Math had never come easily to me, mostly because there were so many equations and formulas to follow, it was hard to keep them all straight. I found that if I looked at math like a fun challenge, instead of something I hated and wanted to avoid, I would be more willing to do it.

God, that sounds stupid. I tried to keep a positive attitude toward it at least.

I found myself on a roll tonight though, and was zipping through the problems like some sort of … _mathmatician_. Consistent studying probably had something to do with it.

Humming cheerfully, I closed my textbook and decided to go downstairs and make something to eat. It was getting late and I was hungry. Kurama usually had rice started by now, so I could probably just steam some vegetables - I thought we had some carrots and spinach in the fridge - and that would be good with some leftover tofu from the other day. I thought about dinner and bounced down the stairs, and then realized I completely forgot about Hiei being there when I saw him at the table with Kurama.

Kurama looked up at me, and an uneasy look passed over his face. Hiei just ignored me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, coming into the kitchen. The table was clear, but I noticed the steamer on the range. Water vapor gathered around the edges of the lid like miniature clouds. I glanced back at Kurama as I moved toward the steamer to see what was inside.

"Of course not." His tone was light, but his eyes told a different story.

I decided to ignore it since Hiei was there. Picking up the lid, I saw that he had put the spinach in there, and had apparently forgotten about it. I cursed and quickly turned off the gas, leaving the lid off so the steam would escape. "You  _nearly_  overcooked the spinach," I informed him imperiously. "I  _will not eat_  overcooked vegetables."

He turned to give me a slightly amused look. "No need to be picky Alice."

I decided to continue the joke since he seemed to be getting a kick out of it. "Picky? Who's picky? I'm  _French_ , I'll have you know."

"But your name sounds so English, and didn't you tell me you were American?"

I felt my mouth twitch. "My mother was a bit old-fashioned with first names. My last name is - or was - Regnier. My middle name was Brigitte - after my paternal grandmother."

He gave me a slight smile. "I see. Even as an American you are a Frenchwoman."

I turned back to the spinach, turning it over with a spoon. "Mostly, anyway. Did you happen to start any rice?"

"It's in the cooker to your right," he murmured, turning back to Hiei, who was staring at me.

I blinked at the fire demon. "What?"

His bright red eyes looked amused, along with the cemented superiority he always had when he looked at me. The side of his mouth pulled into a smirk. "You're  _preening_. What is so deliriously wonderful about being French?"

I gaped at him and scowled. " _My people_ ," I began, hand tightening around the spoon I held, "practically  _invented_ fashion, food, ballet, theatre, philosophy, and  _comebacks_."

Kurama tried not to laugh, but failed miserably.

Hiei only raised an eyebrow. "Comebacks."

Kurama read more into his one-worded statement than I did. "Yes, Hiei, the French are most stereotyped for their frigidness. Too many people have been on the receiving end of their discourtesy, so that's where it comes from. Actually, it's because the French are more reserved than most Europeans and generally do not talk about their personal lives - tourists that try to get them to talk about themselves come to find how rude the French can be."

"Precisely," I agreed primly, taking the left over tofu out of the fridge. I had marinated it in a sweet and spicy sauce the other day and I was hoping the flavors had soaked into it even more. "We are a hot-blooded people."

Hiei scoffed. "Blood, heritage, both are meaningless. The only thing that matters is the present - why do humans insist on living in the past?"

I pulled out a pan to reheat the tofu in. "You would be surprised at how not having someone waiting to kill you at every corner lets you live. But then again," I mused, thinking of myself and Shiori as I dumped the tofu in the oiled pan, "death can come barreling in at any moment and point a gun to your face, or make you fall ill. I guess the difference between demons and humans is that I'm going to die anyway. Even if I don't get hurt, or sick, or murdered, I'm going to die of old age. And that is inevitable." I stirred the tofu.

"For you humans, death  _is_  at every corner. Your bodies are so weak and pathetic - we see it all the time in the Makai. Humans who manage to haplessly find their way across the barriers die within a couple of days of breathing in the toxic air - that is, if they aren't eaten first." His tone sounded smug. "How do you humans cope with the knowledge that you could drop dead at any moment?"

"We ignore it," I answered flatly. His smugness was irritating me.

"Tch. Further proof that humans are stupid."

I  _almost_  snapped and whirled around to throttle him, but only iron-clad control kept me standing at the stove until the tofu was warm enough to eat.

"Your body heat is rising," Hiei commented offhandedly.

"It's only because I find you incredibly sexy Hiei," I deadpanned, knowing that my blood pressure was soaring, and I turned around to savor his startled expression. "Can't you see me blushing?"

Kurama snorted and looked away, hand covering his mouth.

His widened eyes narrowed and his open mouth closed with a click of his teeth. He went from surprised to angry in a space of one millisecond. "I do not find you amusing in the least -"

"Clearly you do," I snapped, cutting him off. "Otherwise you wouldn't spend so much time trying to rile me up. Jokes at your expense aren't funny? Too bad. If you insist on insulting my intelligence, insulting my race, and insulting my species, you'll have to put up with them.  _Otherwise_ ," and I said, my eyes flashing blue thunderbolts at him, "you can just get the fuck out of my kitchen."

His only reply was a scoff and I knew that I had won this round. He wouldn't try to physically attack me while Kurama was there, and he obviously had some business with him, so he couldn't leave yet either. Oddly, Hiei didn't seem all that angry with me - more like subdued.

Kurama cleared his throat and looked around at me when I glanced at him. "Alice, Hiei and I have something to discuss privately. Would you mind eating elsewhere?"

I stared at him. "Are you trying to be funny?"

He looked confused and then remembered that I told Hiei to get out of " _my"_  kitchen. An amused look passed over his features like a puffy cloud. He turned back to Hiei as I uncovered the rice cooker. "Let's go upstairs, Hiei. I'm sure we're only in Alice's way."

That's what I thought, bitch.

* * *

Kurama left me no clues as to what he was up to. I didn't bother asking Hiei. I was sitting at my desk tapping my pencil against one of my textbooks, trying to remember anything,  _anything_ at all about what was going on. I had liked  _Yu Yu Hakusho_  in my last life, but bookstores rarely kept it in stock since it was older, and buying the anime would have been pricey. I did manage to read through the entire series once though - it was a frustrating process.  _YuGiOh!_ had taken up most of the 'Y' shelf at Barnes and Noble, and they never had all of the  _Yu Yu Hakusho_  volumes at once. Anyway, because of that, I didn't have as much information as I liked.

I rubbed my temple and laid my head down on my desk. I was getting a headache. If I rested for a moment, I would be fine.

I found myself thinking about Hiei for some reason, wondering what it was like to be so fast you were a blur. I imagined him racing through the trees, lithe body twisting in all sorts of acrobatic ways, weaving through limbs like a needle and thread. I closed my eyes and the image became more solid, and I noticed he had a sword in his hand. It wasn't his usual katana, but instead a straighter blade. And the handle was a warped mimicry of a brown dragon, pointy teeth flashing at the end, frightening almost, with a hint of what sort of power the sword held -

 _OhmyGodOhmyGod_ , I thought, snapping up. The rest of the memory completed itself in a split second: Hiei swung the sword at a tree and a demon popped out of the wood, Goki laughed, Hiei was triumphant, and Kurama, hanging back in the shadows, had no reaction. The Forlorn Hope glinted in his hand, like the sword of a samurai about to commit seppuku.

 _That's right!_  I thought frantically,  _Kurama's going to use that mirror to exchange his life for Shiori's!_  I stood up, pacing around the room. A lot of thoughts went through my mind - they were jumbled, like laundry in the dryer, but there was a resounding  _what should I do?_  in the background. I didn't want to stop him, because I didn't want Shiori to die, but I wanted to stop him because I didn't want  _him_  to die either! Surely,  _surely_  there would be another way!

I found myself running out the door before I knew what I was doing. Outside, the clouds were dark and threatening and the air smelled like rain. I had a general idea of where they would be meeting up, and there was a chance that it was today. I tore down the street like a bat out of hell and I was inwardly grateful that my broken leg healed so well. The place I was thinking of was on the edge of town, about four miles away. It would take me about thirty minutes to get there.

Desperate running a lot different from my normal type of running. Most people run for exercise, or because they like it, but I run because it's the only way to keep my emotions from turning in on themselves and causing me to explode. I run because it makes me seem normal. I run because it drives out my demons. When I'm running, I'm usually running  _away_  from something.

Running  _toward_  something is a completely different feeling. The things that I usually feel - the stitch in my side, my burning muscles, my pounding heart - become more noticeable and irritating. I do not experience a runner's high like I normally do. Every movement, every step is grinding against everything I run for, like a mortar and pestle crushing coriander seeds.

Then the clouds broke and the rain poured fat, round drops. My hair and clothes were immediately drenched and stuck to my skin. The road I was running on turned steamy, pavement hot from the past few days of sunny summer weather. The rain was refreshing, cooling - a balm on chapped lips. I felt my energy pick up, a second wind, and I ran the last mile to the edge of town. The paved road turned into a gravel road, tiny rocks glittering in the rain, and then to a dirt road that met the woods.

Above the tall, trembling trees there was a clear and dazzling cone of sunlight shooting through the clouds.

My direction seemed obvious. The rain lightened up as I made my way through the woods, and I felt heavy again.

I sensed them about three-hundred meters away before I broke into the clearing. Kurama looked up at me in surprise, his forest green eyes growing wide as his arms unfolded and he pulled away from the tree he had been leaning on. Hiei was doing just as I remembered, flying through the trees and swinging that sword. He was either ignoring me or didn't notice me. Goki glanced at me, but didn't say anything as Kurama approached me. His grayish skin was disgusting.

"What are you doing here?" Kurama demanded softly. His hand clamped around my forearm and he yanked me closer to him, eyes boring down in mine.

I felt a surge of indignation. "What are  _you_  doing here?" I hissed. "What's going on?"

"This is perfect!" I heard Hiei crow. Kurama's eyes moved to follow him. "If the sword can make demons out of trees just  _think_  what it can do to humans! I say we go to the next big city and carve out a thousand of them! Imagine raising an entire -" he cut himself off when he saw me. And then his lips pulled back from his teeth in a mocking, wolfish grin. The sword was suddenly an inch from my throat and I heard a growl emit from Kurama's chest. Hiei ignored the warning, red eyes glittering with malice. "Now, Kurama, I know you like this little human, but surely you wouldn't mind this." The sword moved closer to my throat.

"Don't fuck with me, Hiei," I found myself hissing. My blood-pressure rose as I felt a wave of anger wash over me. My power felt like a tightly coiled cobra, ready to strike at any moment.

The same second the blade touched my neck, my energy surged forward and coiled around Hiei like a viridian vice. The sword fell from his hand onto the forest floor and his child-like face screwed up in pain as I squeezed him. He cursed and writhed, but he couldn't get free. I didn't intend to strip his powers, nor did I intend to kill him, so I let him fall to the ground.

He panted there for a second, on all fours, and then propped himself up on his knees. He looked up at me, red eyes assessing me. "You're stronger than I thought."

I felt myself give him a sweet smile. "You're a weak demon, Hiei. A high D-class at the most. Low-level demons don't have a chance against me."

He scoffed, pulling himself to his feet and picking up the sword. "You're full of yourself."

"A psychic, huh?" Goki said, looking like he wanted to eat me. "Those are delicious." Turns out he did.

I turned to him, folding my arms. I tipped my head to the side. "More like…exorcist." My powers didn't work on humans, so I didn't consider myself a real psychic - not like I was going to announce that in front of Hiei and Goki though. "Still want to eat me?"

"Enough of that," Hiei said, looking over the sword again. "After we build our demon army, we'll use the Forlorn Hope on the full moon to gain complete control, isn't that right, Kurama?"

Goki held up the spirit orb thingy. He gave a hacking laugh. "Ha! And then we can feed 'em souls if we need to with the Orb!"

Kurama's hand tightened around my arm. "Sorry, I must withdraw from this alliance." His other hand was in his pocket, but he looked as cool as a cucumber. I could sense his anxiousness from his hand though. My presence was an unknown variable, and that was probably adding to his tension.

"What?" Hiei demanded. "What's that supposed to mean? Surely you're not dropping out of the game when you've come this far?"

"Yes," Kurama answered simply.

"You coward!" Hiei spat. "Your years of living in the Ningenkai have made you just like them - spineless and ready to be walked on!" His shoulders were tense and angry, red eyes spitting fire.

Goki tipped his head to the side and held out his huge hand. "I don't give a flip if he leaves, but he's got no right to the loot. Give us the pretty mirror." His fingers waggled, urging Kurama to comply.

"No," he said, sounding almost gentle. "I have great need of it myself."

Goki made an amused sound and his stance changed. "All right," he said, pulling his gigantimungous fist back, "then I'll punch it outta ya!"

"Excuse me, neighbors!"

Goki's fist froze as everyone turned to the edge of the clearing.

I felt my mouth twitch into a smile as Urameshi Yusuke came into the clearing, cocky swagger and all. His green uniform was damp from the rain, but he wasn't as soaked as I was. He held a leafy branch above his head like an umbrella. He looked over all of us carefully, and I felt Kurama's hand tighten around my wrist.

"Couldn't help but notice there's no rain falling here - maybe the next time you guys go stealing some magic toys, you should hide where it's not so sunny. Just a tip."

"Who are  _you?_ " Hiei demanded. "And how do you know about the artifacts?"

"Give us your name," Goki grumbled, glaring.

Yusuke smirked. "Oh, thank you, I hoped you'd ask." He tossed his branch aside. "Hello, boys!" He glanced at me. "And girl," he added.

I held up my free hand and gave him my most sweetest, sheepish smile. "Oh, I'm not even involved in this. I just got caught in the rain!" I said and gave a tiny giggle.

Hiei looked nauseated.

Yusuke blinked. "Oh. Okay, then," he looked back at Kurama, Hiei, and Goki. "The name's Urameshi Yusuke and I'm a spirit detective."

"Spirit detective?" Goki muttered.

"Don't worry," Hiei said, practically sneering. "His just one of Koenma's fools. This must've been the only human they could round up - his spirit energy is pathetic."

Kurama suddenly turned around and tugged me along by my arm. I could see the wheels turning in his head.

"Hey!" Yusuke demanded. "Where d'you think you're going?"

"Sorry," Kurama replied, "I don't have time to be arrested."

I gave him a wave before I was tugged through the brush. "Nice to meet you, Yusuke!"

"Hey!" he yelled after us. "Jeez!"

"Stop Kurama!" I heard Hiei snarl as Kurama pulled me further into the woods. "You can't go back on our plan!"

"Run, Alice," Kurama urged, picking up the pace. "Hiei will be catching up to us shortly." I spat leaves out of my mouth as we ran through brush and into a more dense area. It's like the leaves were  _trying_  to make me eat them.

"What are you doing, Kurama? What did you steal?" I asked, pretending not to know. It made my stomach turn over in flip-flops.

He was quiet for a moment. "I took something that will save Mother's life. You don't need to know anymore than that."

I decided to play a game. "I had a premonition earlier. About you dying."

Kurama actually glanced back at me in surprise, and I gave him an I'm-not-stupid look.

"Wanna tell me more about this item? Hiei likes you too much to kill you, and Goki's too weak against you, so obviously it has to be whatever you stole. Something called the Forlorn Hope  _can't_  be good. What are you thinking?" I scoffed and yanked my hand out of his grasp - or tried to - he wouldn't let go. I gave up and we came to a stop.

He looked me over. "Are you cold? It's probably raining harder on the road."

"Don't change the subject."

His free hand went up and rubbed his face as he sighed. "Alice, this really isn't any of your business."

"The hell it isn't," I snapped, feeling my sinuses burn. "What am I…What am I supposed to do…" I could feel my eyes tear up and spill over. " _What am I supposed to do if you die?_ " I said angrily, wiping my face. " _Honestly_. Why is it that I have to burst into fucking  _tears_  every time something like this comes up?" I demanded. "Can't you just do I want  _for once?_ "

His face was as unmovable as a mountain. "You have a fever, Alice."

"I do _not!_ " I said shortly. " _If_  my face is red it's because I ran  _five miles_  to get here, and  _you_  are sending my blood pressure through the roof!" I bit my lip and tried to shake off my emotions. "That mirror is going to kill you, isn't it?" I didn't wait for him to reply. "There  _has_  to be another way, Kurama. Do you really think that Shiori-san can be happy in a world in which you don't exist? Do you think a parent can ever see the world the same when their child is dead?" My body was trembling with the force of my contained emotions. I felt like an armed nuclear warhead. This was more personal to me because my own family had suffered that loss - my parents' lives would never be the same, my sisters could never hear my voice again. "Do you know how painful it is to never see your family again, Kurama?" I finally asked roughly.

"Don't, Alice." He turned away from me, shoving his hands back into his pockets. "Wouldn't you die for your mother? There's nothing,  _nothing_ , you can say to change my mind."

"So that's the secret behind the mirror's power, Kurama?" Hiei's flat voice came from above. I looked up and saw him standing on a branch overhanging us. "You have to die to get what you want?"

"Yes," he finally confirmed, not looking at either of us.

Hiei made sort of a rough 'huh' noise of acknowledgement and disappered.

"Are you sure…are you  _positive_  there isn't any other way?" I asked, wincing at how desperate my voice sounded.

He didn't move. "I'm positive. This is the only thing within anyone's ability to do."

I tried not to cry, really I did, but I just couldn't keep it in anymore. My body was shaking with sobs before I could stop it. Kurama's hands went around my wrists and pulled my hands from my face. His eyes held no emotion; cold and resigned. I looked away from him so I didn't have to see that expression.

"Don't cry, Alice." His voice was warm, clashing with his face. "Mother will still have you, after all. She won't be lonely."

There was nothing I could say to change his mind. There was no other way to save Shiori. Kurama was intent on dying.

Suddenly, his presence was too much for me. I ripped my arms out of his grasp and darted past him, shoving branches and foliage out of my way, leaving him behind. I couldn't hate him for what he was doing, but I couldn't love him for it either. My heart felt like it had been dropped in a blender.

After about three miles of running away, I got tired. I plopped down on a bench on the side of the paved road, listlessly watching the cars go by. The rain had stopped by now, but the air was still heavy and humid. I'm not sure how long I sat there before I saw Kurama's lean, magenta-uniformed figure came around the curving road. He approached me slowly, like I might bolt again, but I was too exhausted. I was used to running, but not seven miles.

He stopped right in front of me, hands in his pockets, looking down at me with concern. "Do you feel better?"

"Not really," I replied flatly, standing up, brushing myself off.

I suddenly found myself pressed against his chest, his warm arms wrapped around me. I hadn't even realized that I was cold until I felt myself melting into him. He was damp from the rain too, but he was hot underneath his clothes, like a space-heater. I was guessing his demonic energy kept him warmer, in addition to him being a guy. I found myself cuddling against him, not caring what the reasons were behind the sudden hug.

His hand came up and stroked my hair away from my face, and he pulled my chin up to look at him properly. His green eyes matched the trees in the haze behind him. His head dipped down, and his mouth was suddenly pressed against my forehead. His lips were soft and warm, and my eyes fell shut with the secret hope that he would kiss me again.

"Your forehead is warm," he murmured, pressing the inside of his wrist against my face. "I think you really do have a fever, Alice. We should get you home before it gets worse."

So he was just checking my forehead with that kiss. How sweet of him. I pulled back, knocking his hand away from me, annoyed. "I'm fine. Stop mother-henning me." I wouldn't let him see me disappointed, and I turned away and started walking off, wrapping my arms around myself. My clothes were freezing.

His arm went around my waist. I was promptly swung up into his arms and held against his chest. Assertive green eyes pinned my blue ones, and I found I had no desire to protest this treatment. His warm body was inviting, and I was very cold. "Let's go home this way," he said lightly. His serious face left no room for arguments, though, as he started walking.

"You're going to walk two miles with me in your arms?" I said doubtfully.

"Well, I could run, but that might make you colder."

I snorted, dropping my head on his slender shoulder. "I really hate you sometimes."

He looked down at me. "Are you angry with me?"

My eyes closed as a wave of drowsiness hit me. "No. I'm angry at the situation and I'm taking it out on you."

He chuckled. "Most people generally don't appreciate that kind of straightforwardness. I'm always taken aback when you say something like that. You really still retain your American manners, don't you?"

"Only with you," I retorted, glancing up at him before closing my eyes again. "You know me best. I don't see the harm in being brutally honest, occasionally. You know I don't mean to hurt anyone."

His arms tightened around me. "I suppose that's true. You still shouldn't joke about hating someone."

"But I'm  _not_  joking."

His green eyes locked into mine. "I highly doubt that, Alice. I admit that you are unreadable at times, even when you're feeling some strong emotion, but your feelings toward me are clear. You obviously cherish me as though we were stranded together on a deserted island. Without each other, we would be lonely, because we are the only ones that can understand our situations. Am I close?"

I pressed my face against his neck in response. "As usual, you are infuriatingly correct."

* * *

I was sick with a fever for the next two days. I didn't go to school - probably even if I weren't sick I wouldn't go - I just laid in bed all day and night and dozed. Kurama brought me some sort of rice gruel and willow bark tea; neither of which were spicy, oddly. I wondered if he wasn't as absentminded as I thought when he cooked, and just did it on purpose to annoy me.

My fever broke by the third day, and I finally rolled out of bed. I took a bath and went downstairs to get something to eat. Kurama wasn't around - probably at school, I hoped. I puttered around the kitchen like an old lady, slicing a block of tofu and dropping in a frying pan. I seasoned it with soy sauce, hickory flavor, and garlic and ginger. It was done in about fifteen minutes. I took the tofu out of the pan and sautéed some spinach in the leftover seasonings. With some rice from the rice cooker, my brunch was complete.

I passed the rest of the day lazily - changing my bed-sheets and cleaning up the kitchen were the most strenuous things I did. I watched TV for a bit, read, and played the piano until Kurama got home.

"Welcome back!" I called when I heard the door open. I got up from the piano and wandered into the entryway to find Kurama taking off his shoes.

He looked up at me, a pained look flashing across his face. He immediately smiled. "I'm home, Alice," he returned. Straightening up, he looked me over. "Are you feeling better?"

I nodded and frowned. "Are you okay?"

He blinked and smiled. "I'm fine. Here, this is the work you've missed these last few days," he said pulling a folder out of his bag and handing it to me. "We don't have any tests until next week, so you should have plenty of time to prepare."

I opened the folder, looking over the worksheets and the notes in Kurama's pointy, neat handwriting. "I'll take it upstairs," I murmured, turning to go up the stairs.

Kurama followed me as I flipped through the folder, making note of all the assignments. He went into his room and put the his bag away, and I just dropped the folder on my desk before glancing at my calendar above it.

I froze.

Today's date…was the full moon of this month. Didn't Hiei say that when the moon was full that the mirror would be able to be used? I bit my lip and ran out into the hallway and stopped at Kurama's open door.

He looked up at me from pulling his books out of his bag. "Is something wrong, Alice?" His green eyes were concerned as he stopped what he was doing and set the bag down. "Are you sure you're feeling better? You look very pale."

"Tonight…is the full moon," I forced out, gripping the sides of the doorway. "I just saw it on the calendar and that means - that means -"

"I'm actually surprised that you haven't been keeping track of it, Alice," he said, shifting his weight and angling himself toward me. "You knew that this was coming. How long did you think I had?" His tone was almost bored.

"Stop it," I hissed at him.

He looked surprised. "Stop what?"

"Stop acting like you don't give a damn! You're being cold and impassive, and I hate it when you're like this! I don't know if you're just trying to protect yourself or me or what, but just  _stop it!_ " I exploded, hitting the side of the door panel. "You can be upset if you want to, I don't care, but I don't like  _this_ ," I seethed, indicating to his stoic expression.

He frowned, approaching me. "Why does it matter to you, Alice?" his tone held a note of anger in it. "We've known each other for six years, but we barely know each other. What difference does it make to you?"

I think my mouth actually dropped open in shock. "Are you fucking kidding me? Can you really, really  _not see_  how much I  _care about you?_ " I demanded. His eyes widened at my words in surprise. "I've never actually  _said so_ ," I continued, advancing on him until we were almost face to face, "but I always thought it was pretty  _obvious_."

"Perhaps," he murmured, looking away, "something like that has to be heard directly to be believed." He turned back to me, green eyes overwhelmed with some emotion I couldn't identify. It wasn't exactly happiness or pain, but it made his hand clench into fists. "Alice, I'm not…a good person. I'm cruel and selfish, but if I can do something,  _anything,_  to redeem myself just a little - I'll do it."

I murmured his name, trying to think of something to say, and his mouth suddenly went over mine. The kiss was urgent, almost desperate, and took me completely by surprise. One of his hands cradled the back of my head, tipping my face up to meet his, and I returned his urgency, gripping the front of his uniform. I felt like I'd been waiting for him to kiss me for ages.

He pulled back. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I -"

I yanked him down and crashed my lips against his. His mouth moved with mine, and his hands moved to my waist, and he pulled me flush against him. My stomach swooped with each movement of his lips. I could feel his vulnerability in his kiss, like he wanted me to save him, but the only thing I could do was kiss him more deeply.

He finally pulled away, cupping my cheek and resting his forehead on mine. "I have to go," he murmured. "I'm meeting someone. I'm sorry," he said again. "I shouldn't have done that."

"I wanted it," I replied, not sorry at all.

He gave me a pained half-smile and pressed another kiss to my lips. "Still, it isn't right." His eyes were sad. "It isn't fair to you." He pulled away from my grasp and turned toward the door. He didn't look back. "Goodbye, Alice."


	11. Haunted

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Eleven: Haunted**

* * *

I wasn't sure what to do with myself after Kurama left. I'm not sure how long I stood there, not seeing anything in front of me, and I'm not sure when I finally broke down in tears and collapsed onto the floor of Kurama's room. The rough carpet scratched my face as I sobbed huge heaving breaths of pain until I couldn't breathe anymore. I don't remember anything that went through my mind, and I don't remember curling up on Kurama's bed and passing out.

I dreamt about running after him in a forest thick with fog, his back just in my sight and just out of my reach. I screamed his name, but the wind always blew my voice away. He never turned to look at me.

And then the dream changed and I was in dark place, like in another part of the forest, but I was alone. I heard his voice suddenly, murmuring my name.

_Alice._

_Alice, wake up._

The darkness became like the darkness of a womb. I was safe, and I listened to his voice continue to say my name.

_Alice, please wake up._

Wake up? Why would I want to do that? It was nice here, and besides, this is the only way I can hear your voice, Kurama. I want to sleep forever. I could listen to you say my name for the rest of time.

_Alice._

Again, Kurama. Let me sleep forever. Say my name again.

" _Alice, wake_ up _!"_  his voice urged.

I felt like I was swimming through a thick vat of molasses. My head was pounding and the bed I was laying on felt uneven, like someone was sitting on it. A warm hand rested on my temple, and the smell of something fresh and green filled my nose.

The hand shifted and I felt my body being pulled up, against another body. The other body shifted and I was pulled into that person's lap.

I forced my eyes open, but everything was just shapes in the dark room. The hand came up and tipped my face toward the shadow that held me.

"Are you awake now, Alice?" Kurama's voice asked.

My hand went up to touch the shadow's face, feeling the familiar planes and angles. "Kurama?" My voice was rough from sleep and crying. "Are you - are you really here?"

"I'm here," he reassured me. "The Forlorn Hope decided not to take my life, thanks to Yusuke's help."

I flew at him, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing every bit of him I could reach. "I'm so glad," I said, squeezing him, pressing a kiss to his neck. "I'm so glad."

He held me and stroked my hair in return, calm and serene. "Me too," he murmured. "I'm sorry for causing you so much pain. You cried yourself to sleep, didn't you?"

"Doesn't matter now," I replied into his shoulder. "I'm fine, you're fine, and Shiori - wait, what about her?" I asked, leaning back, squinting at his shadow.

I could hear the relief and happiness in his voice. "The mirror granted my wish anyway, so she's completely cured of her illness. She'll be able to come home tomorrow."

I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt like a bird - I want to sing and fly, I was so happy. I hugged him again, tighter than before, and heard him chuckle.

* * *

Kurama and I turned Shiori's homecoming into a big event. We stayed up all night cleaning the house from top to bottom, and I made cupcakes in our little toaster oven while Kurama went to a nearby convenience store to buy streamers. He hung it artfully in the entryway, making loops and flourishes with the green and pink paper.

By then, the yellow tendrils of the rising sun chased away the darkness of the night, replacing it with a sunrise of fresh cut flowers. I felt warm with the new day and not at all tired. Shiori would be picked up by Hatanaka, and he would bring her home within the next hour or so. I was excited, my heart fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. I danced around the house, straightening odd and ends and dusting.

Kurama stopped me after a while, giving me an appraising look. "Perhaps you should brush your hair."

I turned an looked at myself in the reflection of the window in the living room. Half of my hair was sticking up like an obnoxious yellow crown. I gave him a mock frown. "Didn't feel like telling me about that earlier, huh?"

"Actually, I did think about it, but it's much more amusing this way." His green eyes glittered with humor.

"You're hilarious," I said dryly, handing him the dust cloth. He smiled and made like he was going to rub my face with it, but I ducked under his arm and ran upstairs before he could do that. I heard him chuckle as I closed my bedroom door and picked my brush up from my dresser, examining my face in the mirror. For someone who cried hard earlier, my face wasn't all that puffy. I pulled the brush through my blonde curls and winced at the knots.

I changed into a blue cotton skirt and white tee, knowing the summer air would be hotter later in the day. My hair was beyond all hope of looking neat, so I just pulled it into a ponytail and called that good enough.

Done with that, I went back downstairs and iced the cupcakes until I heard the front door swing open.

"I'm home! Oh, how wonderful!" Shiori's voice said, jubilant.

I hastily iced the last cupcake and dashed out into the entryway, almost running Kurama over. "Welcome home!" I crowed, throwing my arms around Shiori.

"Alice-chan! Hello, dear!" she cried, hugging me back.

"Welcome back, Mother," Kurama murmured happily. I felt him press against me as he gave Shiori a hug and peck on the cheek.

A happy noise came from Shiori. "Oh, I'm so glad to be home, you two!" I let go of Shiori to look at her properly. She was the perfect picture of health, with bright eyes and a healthy color in her cheeks. She smiled at me and pinched my cheek playfully. "Did you two stay up all night?"

"No," I said innocently.

She laughed, knowing that I was lying. "I couldn't sleep either. I was too excited!"

A man's chuckle came from behind her, and I saw Hatanaka grinning cheerfully. "What's that sweet smell in the air?"

"German chocolate cupcakes," I replied. "I just finished icing them. Do either of you want one?"

Shiori smiled. "Yes, that sounds lovely, Alice-chan. Let's go in the kitchen. Did you do the streamers, Shuichi-kun?"

* * *

Having Shiori back in the house felt like ice cream on a hot summer day. Sweet, simple, and perfect. Hatanaka came to see her or take her out most days, and I was pretty sure their relationship was getting more and more serious as time passed. Kurama didn't seem to mind. I think Hatanaka was growing on him once Kurama saw how well he stuck by Shiori while she was ill.

As for mine and Kurama's …situation, it was going no where. Not that I didn't make an effort, but he just didn't seem all that interested in flirting after the jubilance of Shiori's homecoming wore off. Or the melancholy of his almost dying. Whatever. I tried not to appear peeved about it, but everything really started to piss me off after awhile and I found myself running again. I felt stagnant and stupid.

Rain took over at the end of May, filling the air with its humidity and smell. I was walking home from school one afternoon, trying not to think about the shitty day I had, hoping for something good to happen so I wouldn't have to close myself in my room and try not to destroy anything. I couldn't go running, because it was raining - hard, by the sound on my umbrella - so I walked and begged the powers that be to have something nice drop into my lap.

My wish was granted.

I had walked almost fifteen feet from the school when a figure cloaked in black dropped in front of me from God-knows-where. Hiei forced himself right next to me under my somewhat unaccommodating umbrella, holding himself awkwardly, stoplight eyes staring at me with mild contempt.

"The hell?" I demanded out of shock, edging away from him.

His features twisted into somewhere between a scowl and a smirk. "What are  _you_  sulking about?" he muttered, inches from my face.

"Bad day," I growled at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

His expression darkened. "It's raining. I hate rain. As you have an umbrella, I'm obviously going to stand under it, you stupid girl."

I sighed, deciding that attempting to stab at Hiei with an open umbrella would be self-defeating and possibly suicidal. "Well, I'm walking home, so feel free to walk along with me. Although, people will think that we're dating, since we're sharing the same umbrella and all."

For a moment, Hiei looked like he was struggling with a major decision. Then his face cleared and he merely scowled, clearly not happy. "I hate the rain more," he finally said. "Don't get full of yourself."

"Oh, don't worry," I reassured him dryly. I thought back to the last time I had seen him, standing above me and Kurama in a tree, holding that freaky sword. "Whatever happened to that business in the clearing? Are you and Goki still BFFs?"

Hiei scoffed. "Don't be stupid. Goki's dead. That stupid detective managed to kill him by some fluke or another. As for the rest of it…Kurama doesn't keep you informed very well, does he?" he said superiorly. "I thought you were his woman."

I rolled my eyes. "Apparently not." I felt my face turn into a frown before I could hide it, and Hiei's quick red eyes absorbed the expression and he smirked. "He likes to keep me in the dark," I said, attempting to lead him down a different path of thought. "It's incredibly frustrating. And insulting."

"He doesn't trust you."

Oh.  _Oh._

I felt myself come to a stop so quickly, Hiei almost ended up stepping outside the umbrella's range of cover. He shot me a glare, but I was too busy with my epiphany and I didn't absorb it.

Hiei was right. He was so completely right. Kurama  _didn't_  trust me at all - even after all this time. No matter how much I proved myself to be trustworthy, no matter what I did, or said, or felt, Kurama just  _didn't_  trust me. He promised that he would try, but from what I was seeing, it wasn't even like he was making an effort.

I found myself laughing. Darkly.

Hiei scoffed. "What the hell are you laughing for?"

I just shook my head and stopped. "My life…it's just so fucked up. Kurama and I are kind of in the same situation, so why wouldn't we be able to trust each other, right? Him not trusting me after all this time, it's just ridiculous. It makes me think that he's got something to hide, some reason like that, because I know that  _I_  can be trusted. Maybe I'm the only person I  _can_  trust. I proven myself over and over again to him. I'm tired of it. I really am."

"You'll get over it," Hiei said flatly.

"No," I said, tossing my head. "I hold grudges. I don't get over things - I get over  _people_. That's how I roll." I stepped forward, continuing the walk home.

After awhile of silence, I heard a muffled whine come from Hiei. I turned to him, cocking an eyebrow curiously. He scowled and pulled back his cloak, revealing a damp bundle of white and grey fur that extended from his hand to his elbow. The dog's pointy ears went up as his brown eyes fixed on me. He gave a small whine again and Hiei changed his grip and held the puppy out to me. "Take this infernal thing. Its whining is giving me a migraine."

I took the puppy from him immediately, holding him with one arm against me. He whined again. "He likes you better, Hiei. You're much warmer than I am."

"Tch," he scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I do not. Dog sit."

"Then what are you doing with him?" I asked, trying to hold back my smirk.

He scoffed again, tightening his cloak around himself, and then disappeared from under the umbrella and out of my sight.

"Wait, Hiei! Am I supposed to keep him?" I yelled after him.

I received no reply.

Of course, I turned and saw that I was in front of my house.

Clever, Hiei.

* * *

The dog was pretty well-behaved and friendly. He started licking my face as soon as I got in the house. Closing my umbrella, I slipped off my shoes and wandered into the kitchen, still holding the dog. Shiori was at the stove, stirring something and she glanced back at me when she sensed me there.

"Oh, welcome back, Alice-chan. How was -"

Her eyes fell on the puppy who perked up at the sight of her. Shiori smiled uncertainly. "Why do you have a puppy, dear?"

"Someone rudely shoved him in my arms and ran away," I said, frowning. "Is it all right to keep him, Shiori-san?"

She still looked uncertain. "I don't really know…I've never taken care of a dog before."

"I have," I said before I could stop myself, wincing inwardly. "When I was little. You know."

She brightened up. "Really? What sort of dog was it?"

I thought back to the last dog my family had. "A blue heeler, I think. Medium-sized with pointy ears."

Shiori looked thoughtful. "Well, since you know a thing or two already, I suppose it wouldn't be an issue. We do need to take him to the vet and get his shots and such taken care of. He'll also need to be neutered. Have you thought about a name?"

I frowned down at the puppy. He looked like he had some husky or malamute in him, but his fur didn't seem too terribly thick. It could be that he was just wearing his summer coat though. His snout was long and his ears were pointy, and I'm sure that when he grew up he would look very regal. So either a town in Alaska, or a famous historical figure.

"Sitka?" I suggested. "As in Sitka, Alaska?"

He actually gave a little yip.

Shiori smiled. "I like that. Si-tu-ka."

I didn't try to correct her, since I knew she would get it over time. "I'll give him a bath in the shower. Is that okay?"

Her uncertain face was back. "If you clean up the bathroom afterward. After this, we should take him to a grooming parlor to get clean."

That sounded awfully expensive. "We can hose him down in the yard on sunny days too," I suggested. "It would be cheaper."

She nodded in uncertain agreement, so I gave her a reassuring smile.

She frowned. "We don't have any dog food though."

"He'd probably be happy with leftovers today. Dogs are omnivores so they'll eat anything."

Shiori blinked. "Really? I didn't know that." She smiled. "Leftovers it is!"

* * *

Sitka was surprisingly well-behaved in the ofuro. He wasn't all that dirty, but he stopped being so smelly once I washed him with my body wash. Let me just say, I know you're not supposed to use human stuff on dogs, but my own skin is very sensitive to chemicals, so my body wash and shampoo were both free of harsh chemicals, and also vegan,  _and_  eco-friendly. They were also not strongly scented either, so they're very gentle.

Sitka didn't mind the lightly lavender-scented suds I was rubbing into his grey and white fur. I imagined he felt very posh, especially since he was getting a massage too. His tail wagged all the while I washed him.

"You're gonna sleep with me tonight, aren't ya?" I cooed to him. "Yesh you are! So sweet!"

He wriggled around happily and I scratched him some more. He yipped.

"Time to get rinsed off! Now stay still, Sitka."

He obeyed well enough, even closed his eyes while I rinsed him off with the shower hose. He lapped at the soapy water that went over his head. I doubted it would really hurt him, but I tried to rinse him off more quickly anyway. Didn't want him to get a doggy tummy ache.

I finally got him completely cleaned off and rubbed him down with a fluffy towel, trying to dry him off the best I could. I thought about getting my blowdryer out, but I figured that might scare him. After that, I put him outside the door and closed it, turning back to rinse the bathing room down. Luckily, Sitka hadn't shed too much during his bath, and everything - the dirt, grime, and loose hairs - went down the drain pretty well. I supposed I would come back tomorrow and scrub the whole room down - it probably needed it.

I hung up the shower head and swung open the door. Sitka was still there on the other side, apparently waiting for me. He gave me a cute doggy grin and yipped.

I immediately glomped him.

We played, and rolled around in the hallway until I heard a pointed cough above me, and I looked up and found Kurama's green eyes twinkling with amusement.

Before I could say anything, or even make a reaction to his presence, without any provocation at all - Sitka growled at Kurama. Not a cute indignant puppy growl either, but a serious I-will-kill-you-in-the-worst-way-possible grown up  _dog_  growl. All of the fur on Sitka's back stood straight up, like an enthused audience. And his brown eyes, so calm and playful only a moment ago, turned stormy and dangerous. He looked ready to leap at Kurama and take a chunk out of him.

Kurama's expression was calculating and dark.

I grabbed Sitka around his middle and pulled him into my lap. "Stop that," I said firmly, turning his head toward me.

He stopped mid-growl and licked my hand. His face said,  _Don't get mad! I was just looking out for you, Alice. I don't like this guy! He doesn't smell right._

"Where did you get that dog, Alice?" Kurama asked in a clipped tone. He sounded more cautious than annoyed.

"Hiei," I supplied. "I guess he found Sitka and …felt bad for him?" I frowned at my logic. Would Hiei really feel bad for an abandoned puppy? I couldn't be sure. Hiei's kindness, while it existed, was quite unpredictable. He might think the dog would need some toughing up and leave it out in the rain. I looked at Sitka who only gave me another doggy grin.

Kurama made an amused noise. Probably at the image of Hiei finding a puppy in a box on a rainy day and then  _cuddling_  him.

"I don't think Hiei  _found_  the dog so much as it was  _given_  to him," Kurama said thoughtfully. His green eyes bore into Sitka's, who stiffened in my arms under Kurama's glare. He continued, "That dog isn't a normal Ningenkai dog, I'm afraid. He's from the Reikai."

"Eh? Really?" I asked, glancing down at the puppy in my arms. "I didn't know the Reikai had dogs there."

"The one in your hands is a courier dog," he said. He examined Sitka. "I'm sure you are already aware of the legends of sled dogs as transportation vehicles, right? I believe Steven Spielberg even made a film about it."

" _Balto_ ," I offered, remembering the name of the movie. It was one of my favorites as a kid. In case you don't know, Balto was an actual dog - a Siberian husky - that lead a team of sled dogs into Nome, Alaska in 1925 bringing diphtheria medicine. The real story is that there were about twenty or so different sled dog teams, and the medicine they were carrying was passed along like a stick in a relay race - all the way from the train that came from Anchorage and stopped at Nenana, and then onward by dogs. Balto's team was actually the  _second_  to last team to get the medicine, but they missed or couldn't find the  _very_ last team, and ended up carrying the medicine twice as far and all the way to Nome. The Iditarod Dog Sled Race is held every year to honor the efforts of the drivers and dogs that made it through that winter race in 1925.

"Yes," Kurama said, shaking me out of my thoughts. "While the Reikai does not use these types of dogs as actual sled dogs, they are still used to carry messages."

I scowled. "So the Reikai  _breeds_  dogs  _specifically_  for their own selfish purposes? Sick." I held Sitka closer to me.

Kurama looked taken aback for a moment. Then he smiled. "Actually, the dogs are made out of clouds. They are  _shaped_  rather than  _bred_."

I squinted at Kurama. "Really? Because I will personally go there and free them all. I was a member of the Animal Liberation Front, you know. I used to have a tattoo."

Kurama's eyes got curious. " _Really?_ " I could see he wanted to ask more about it, but he shook his head. "The dogs really are made from clouds and imbued with reiki. If you think about it, they aren't even dogs. They simply take on the shape and characteristics."

Sitka licked my face and wriggled.

"Then why did Hiei have him?" I asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. Koenma may have wanted to keep a bit more of a  _solid_  tab on Hiei, but that doesn't entirely make sense either. You're holding a puppy after all." His expression was thoughtful. "By the way, when Hiei held him, was the dog…uncooperative?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. He likes Hiei. And his name is Sitka."

Kurama blinked. "Really?"

"What? Should I have named him Saint Barth?  _Cancun?_ " I asked indignantly, hugging the puppy.

"No, I mean, I'm surprised that he liked Hiei," Kurama said quickly, looking mildly confused. He was probably wondering why I was so irritable and defensive.

"Oh," I said. "Probably because Hiei is much nicer than you, Kurama." I said darkly, thinking back to what Hiei said about Kurama not trusting me. Him leaving me out of the loop made me very angry. In addition to  _that_ , there was nothing further on developing a relationship. Kurama was infuriating me at every twist and turn. After six years of being together, being in the same situation, and him still,  _still_  not even  _trusting_  me - keeping me in the dark, refusing me, making me think that we had something we  _clearly didn't_  - I was getting fed up.

Sitka noticed my change in mood and gave a small whine.

Kurama seemed surprised at my words, and then subdued.

"Apparently you're keeping things from me," I said flatly, getting to my feet. "Do I even deserve to know why? Or did you arbitrarily decide that on your own too?"

Kurama's expression was smooth as he turned and opened his bedroom door. "Let's discuss this inside here, shall we?"

I followed him in his bedroom, but he closed the door before Sitka could come in. I heard him give a whine in the hallway, and I frowned at Kurama.

He leaned against the door, hands in his pockets. "I do not want that creature in here."

I was offended on Sitka's behalf. "Don't call him  _that creature_  -"

Kurama held his hand up, shushing me. "That is not the current subject at hand, Alice." He stepped away from the door and stood in front of me, suddenly looking very serious. "You want to know why I'm keeping things from you? Or  _what_  I'm keeping from you?"

I gave him a indignant look. "I want  _both_  you jerk! Is it that you still don't trust me? I'm  _tired_  of you not even making an  _effort_. Every time something comes up, you have to hide things from me. I'm sick of it!"

His face was cool. "Why should it matter if I hide things from you?"

"Because it means that I'm  _nothing_  to you," I snapped before I could stop myself. "It means that you have absolutely  _no_  regard for me,  _nor_  whatever relationship we have!" I folded my arms around myself and looked up at him. "It means that you don't trust me. And without trust there can be nothing between us."

"You're very right, Alice. It makes sense that you would think that way," he said, examining me. "You don't trust very easily either, do you?"

"No," I said flatly. "I don't."

He sighed, looking like I had ruffled his feathers. "You'll be happy to know the reason I've been keeping things from you is that I didn't want to worry you. I've noticed that you have a tendency to jump to the worst possible conclusions or scenarios first. I certainly don't want to be a reason for you to lose sleep at night. You would surely blame me for it."

I gaped indignantly at him.

"As to  _what_  I've been keeping from you," he continued, ignoring me, "is that I joined Yusuke to help apprehend Hiei. In our altercation, I was stabbed by the Shadow Sword, but it missed everything vital and I was not seriously injured. Afterward, I went to the Reikai and now I have been put on probation for my theft. Although, my sentence is considerably better than Hiei's because I more or less turned myself in."

"I see," I murmured. "Then, you really do trust me?"

He smiled. "Mostly."

"I'm glad," I said, feeling slightly relieved. "Are you going to stop keeping things from me?"

He looked hesitant, then he sighed, defeated. "I'm not sure whether I prefer you angry or worried."

I clapped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him down and closer to me so that we were eye-level. Intending to show him a display of my anger, I said firmly, "Do yourself a favor, Kurama. Prefer me worried. Or I'll trash your precious room."

He looked amused. "Fine, Alice. Worry away. I'll stop keeping things from you," he said with a smile.

I let him go and smiled as he straightened. "Very good." I looked away. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Certainly."

I suddenly felt really nervous and found myself rocking back and forth on my heels. "What…am I to you?" I mumbled, looking away.

He sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. His expression clearly said that he knew I would bring this up. "I'm sorry, Alice. I know this is coming from that kiss -"

"No," I interrupted him. "Even before that - in the hospital, remember when you picked me up? Didn't you  _feel_  that?"

He looked away. "Yes, I admit I did. I think what we feel for each other," he began, looking back at me, "is purely sexual. Any emotions are just caused by the fact that we are on the same deserted island together, like I said before. I don't believe we actually have any  _real_ feelings for one another."

"But I  _do_  have  _real_  feelings for you," I blurted out. I felt a sheepish look take over my face and I stepped back. "Haven't you ever been in love before?"

Kurama looked at me, completely serious. "Have you ever been in love in a situation such as this one?"

"No, but -"

"You don't have feelings for me, Alice," he said flatly. "Your emotions are being fabricated and manipulated by our situation. To accept them as real would only be disastrous. We  _live_ together, Alice. What would happen if it didn't work out?"

I didn't have an answer to that. "Couldn't we just -"

"No." His expression softened and he got to his feet. "I'm sorry," he said gently, resting his hand on my shoulder, cupping his hand against my neck. "I will apologize for kissing you forever if I have to. I should have never done it. If I could take it back, I truly would. Because of a moment of weakness on my part, you have to feel this pain, and for that I simply cannot apologize enough."

I closed my eyes. "Please stop. I just…I don't want to hear it. Let's…just pretend nothing happened."

I heard him sigh. "If that's what you want - then nothing happened." He looked uncertain.

"It's what I want," I assured him. Maybe my feelings were or weren't real, I didn't know, but I couldn't ignore the fact that he clearly wanted nothing to do with me. You can't make someone love you - believe me, I've tried. I pulled away from him, feeling cold.

He frowned, but didn't say anything.

I went to the door, swinging it open and found Sitka waiting for me on the other side, doggy smile in place.

At least Sitka liked me, I thought, bending down to pick him up.


	12. The Mark Has Been Made

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twelve: The Mark Has Been Made**

* * *

Kurama and I spent the next five months making no more than polite conversation. We were awkward with each other, like toddlers learning to walk. We would only seek each other out when necessary, and our eyes would never meet. I couldn't find it in myself to really talk to him, to really  _be_  with him, because it felt like there was a brick wall between us. I partly didn't want anything to do with him, still angry, still hurt, but I knew that I couldn't fault him completely. He was scared at that time. He thought he was going off to die when he kissed me. And now that it was all over, he handled me like barbed wire or a blowfish, like I was a prickly thing.

Shiori was too absorbed in Hatanaka and work to really notice anything going on - not that she was a particularly observant person anyway. Hatanaka had quit his job at the publishing company he worked at with Shiori, intending to start his own business. Something to do with computers, I think. And it was probably a great idea, considering how much they have taken over nowadays. Hatanaka also mentioned a few things about Kurama coming to work there someday.

As for Sitka, he became a full-grown malamute, and he was extremely happy now because it was October. His coat was long and his fur was thick, and he spent a lot of time prancing around in the yard, breath coming out in puffy clouds. I watched him from the sunroom, slouching at the piano, content to stay inside where it was warmer. I wasn't fond of the cold. Luckily the falls and winters in Asaka were mild - a lot like the ones in Texas.

I finally met Hatanaka's son. He was a typical thirteen-year-old, awkward, and sort of a beanpole. He was taller than me by about three inches, but that's completely unsurprising. Everyone's taller than me. He liked to watch game shows and play baseball with his friends. Like his dad, he was a fan of the Tokyo Giants. He didn't say much to me, probably feeling unsure of me - the foreign girl - but he seemed quite taken with Kurama. It seemed he immediately thought him older brother material, and Kurama didn't mind a bit.

Lately, Kurama and I had been spending a lot of time researching high schools to go to. Shiori went with us to the library and we scoured through books and brochures, and talked to the students from the surrounding schools. I found myself getting incredibly frustrated with the process. When I went to college in my first life, it was not an ordeal as big as choosing a high school. I had simply gone to a community college that was cheap and had useful programs. Yet in Japan, there was just such a prestige with picking the right high school. Future employers would look at your records and judge you by it.

Soon enough, I managed to settle on about five different schools in the area. One was a prep school for a nearby university, one was a private school that had a strong biology and chemistry curriculum, another one was a public school that highlighted its foreign-language programs, and then another one had a great background in writing (I heard Kaito Yuu was aiming for this school), and the last one prided itself on itself on its prestigious music and art clubs. Frankly, I would have been pleased with any of the five, as they could all take me somewhere. Kurama had picked most of the same ones, although he was also considering a high school that offered high-quality training of entrepreneurial and business management skills. It interested him for some ungodly reason.

And while the exams weren't until next February, I was already studying, going over texts and workbooks from the last two years. Shiori had already mentioned something about starting cram school in early January, when the new trimester started, and the third years would be relieved of their club duties. I agreed, and in the meantime tried to read ahead in my current textbooks. I wasn't behind in any of my classes by any means, but I wanted to get ahead and turn slouchy Bs into As.

This was not my typical behavior when it came to school. In my old life, I hardly cracked a textbook in high school, rarely studied, but paid attention enough in lectures to scrape by with low Cs and Bs. I was the epitome of a slacker - a below average student. My parents didn't really care, so that didn't exactly help because I had no one to ride me and nag me about working hard. My mom had grown up the daughter of farmers, who valued hard labor over books, and my dad had more or less the same upbringing as me. Of course they would be happy to see me succeed in school, and would occasionally remind me to do homework, but they weren't really willing to fight me to push me hard.

Of course I had a very rude awakening when I went to college. My college - my little dinky community college - really made me see how poor a student I was. I learned very quickly that just listening to a lecture and taking excellent notes wasn't enough to get an A - or even a B. I had to completely relearn and learn new studying skills to even scrape by. Even then it wasn't enough. If you miss a day in college, it's like missing an entire week of school. One class is more jam-packed with information than jelly in a donut. And depending on someone else's notes? Forget it. You can't decipher anything. Most people don't even know how to take notes, so they write down random words that they don't remember the significance to, and you're left feeling exasperated and  _swear_  to yourself, even if you're  _dead_ , you will never miss another class again.

College is a slap in the face for slackers like me.

However, Shiori really turned me into a great student. Previously, no matter what I did, no matter how smart I was, no matter how great my memory, and no matter how much help I got - it was all worthless in the face of procrastination. Even if I understood the work, if I could not find the motivation to do it, I wouldn't get the grades I wanted.

And Shiori, with her gentle firmness and motivating words, kept me from getting overwhelmed. She taught me to follow a routine, get a study spot (my desk in my bedroom) so that I could sit there and automatically feel like studying, she taught me tricks to get through tough homework, and helped me make flashcards and study schedules for tests and exams. She gave me encouragement when I needed it most, and she taught me persistence. I felt like she was my good luck charm.

Shiori really made me into a student my parents would have been proud of.

* * *

I was walking through town after school one day, heading to a pet specialty store to pick up some dog food for Sitka. I realized when I got home and tried to feed him that there wouldn't be enough for his dinner tomorrow, and then I felt like a terrible person so I changed clothes and headed out immediately. Sitka was a big dog now, and he went through a lot of food fast. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with his appetite.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my light, cotton jacket and shrunk into myself, feeling an unnatural chill in the air. It was cool outside, but there was a certain energy in the atmosphere, like the coppery tang of danger. I wondered if a storm was coming.

I suddenly felt a huge spike of energy on my radar, as obvious as a mountain. Against my logical, better judgment, my curiosity won out and I traced the spike to a nearby lot between two buildings. I came through the alley and stopped at the sight, surprised, not expecting to see the people I saw.

Urameshi Yusuke and Kuwabara Kazuma were standing over a group of unconscious middle school students. Their hands were shoved in their pockets and they were frowning uncertainly at the guys on the ground. "Who the hell were these guys anyway?" Yusuke asked, bending down to examine them more closely.

Kuwabara looked up at me and blinked. "Alice? What are you doing here?"

Yusuke looked up at me too, frowning like he was trying to place me in his memory. It had been about six or seven months since he saw me last, so I imagined he would have trouble. He glanced at Kuwabara. "She a friend of yours?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking back at me.

"I'm out buying dog food," I said. "And then I felt a weird spike of energy. Was that you guys?" I glanced at Yusuke. "You're a spirit detective, right?"

He blinked and then looked like something clicked. "Oh! Now I remember. You're that girl that was in that clearing with Kurama." He gave a slight, suspicious smile. "You his girlfriend?"

"Nope," I replied, coming further into the lot and looking down at the unconscious guys. "So that was your energy then?"

He nodded. But before he could say anything, Kuwabara interrupted.

"Hold on, I feel something strange around here - I don't think it's very human," he said, surprising me. I focused on a 'ting' on my radar and felt what he was talking about. I think Kuwabara had less of a filter than I did. I barely noticed the weak demonic aura. Kuwabara's eyes darted around as he turned his head, trying to pinpoint the source. His eye caught a cloaked figure wearing a hat peering in behind a chain-link fence. "Something like that!" he exclaimed, pointing.

The figure jumped and darted away. Yusuke and Kuwabara took off after him and I followed them, hot on their heels, as the demon lead us down an alley. He turned down another alley and ran into the sunlight, turning around the corner of the building.

Suddenly there was a metallic 'tong' and the figure flew backward, tumbling past the alley's entryway. Yusuke and Kuwabara came to a sudden stop, and I almost ran into them. We glanced in surprise at the fallen demon, and then turned to see Botan dressed in red jeans and a red, belted coat, looking a little smug as she slug a metal baseball bat over her shoulder.

"Now that's teamwork," she said, fuchsia pink eyes prideful.

Something that surprised me about Botan was not her eyes or her powder blue hair, but rather her height. She was surprisingly tall, standing at about five feet, eight inches.

Yusuke twitched. "Botan!" he yelped, sounding almost indignant that she surprised him so much.

"Hey, it's the pretty girl," Kuwabara exclaimed excitedly. Then he turned a little bashful, cheeks turning pink. "Have you thought about me?"

Botan tactfully ignored Kuwabara's question, instead explaining the situation. "I've been shadowing that one since he slipped through the barrier two days ago," her eyes focused on the felled figure.

"So what is it?" Kuwabara asked. He turned to me. "A demon?"

I nodded. "A really weak one. I barely noticed his energy until you pointed it out. Your senses are much keener than mine, I think."

"He looks like he grew up too close to a nuclear plant," Yusuke commented, nudging the demon's limp leg with his foot.

"I'm quite certain he's a spy from the place you'll be going for your next mission," Botan said, shifting her weight and tossing Yusuke a serious look.

"Okay, Botan, you can stop right there!" Yusuke shouted, irritated. "I just got back from Grandma's evil boot camp, and I  _deserve_  a  _vacation_." He scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets and turned, ignoring her taken aback expression. "Why don't you call back in two years?"

Botan became as equally annoyed, shooting a dark look at his back. "Then I guess you don't mind everyone in the city being turned into a  _zombie_?" she demanded, letting the bat fall to her side and clenching her fist like she wanted to hit him.

"Does that question have a point?" he replied, sounding like the rebellious fourteen-year-old he was.

She turned grim. "Koenma was given a message yesterday. It was sent by an agent, much like the one that we just walloped. Basically, the Four Saint Beasts from the City of Ghosts and Apparitions want immediate immigration into the living world."

"I don't get what all the fuss is about, if Koenma's in charge, why doesn't he just turn down the request? And who are these stupid Saint Beasts?" Yusuke said, looking bored.

Her tone was serious. "They are four of the most notorious criminals in the Reikai. The title of 'Saint' was given to them by their followers. Years ago, they were chased by a coalition of pursuers and evaded capture by locking themselves up in a booby-trapped fortress. Since then a city has formed at its base, filled with vile crooks who view these Beasts as gods - the City of Ghosts and Apparitions." Her bat dropped to her side again and she turned to go through the alley.

"Hey, aren't you going to finish your story?" Yusuke asked, going after her.

Kuwabara and I exchanged a shrug and followed them.

Botan stopped at the bodies of the unconscious students. She pointed and turned back to Yusuke who stopped beside her. "Why don't you take a closer look at these boys you knocked out?"

We leaned closer and then immediately shrunk away in disgust. A large green insect with red specks crawled out of one of the boy's mouth, and rested on his grayish cheek before flying away.

Yusuke made a revolted noise. "Tell me I didn't just see a bug crawl from that guy's throat."

Botan explained. "They're called Makai insects, a parasite from the darker part of the Reikai." Her eyes followed the bug as it flew away. "They bury themselves under the skin and nurture their host's most primal desires."

Kuwabara was on the verge of vomiting and I patted his back sympathetically.

She continued. "Minds occupied by this parasite develop a desire for destruction, physical power, and murder. It will be a disaster."

"Well can't we tell people? There's gotta be a cure," Yusuke said.

"There is," Botan replied. "But normal people can't see the insects, and afflicted people will only be seen as psychotic. And I'm afraid that a cure will not be first on the humans' minds."

"Probably not," I said, thinking about Shiori. What if she went out today and got attacked by someone? Or got possessed by a Makai insect herself?

"Well then what are we supposed to do?" Yusuke demanded.

She looked at him sharply. "The only way to rescue the citizens is to kill the Makai insects, and the only way to do that is by destroying the whistle, which the enemy possesses."

"A whistle?"

She nodded. "Without the whistle maintaining it's frequency, the Makai insects can't live out of the Reikai."

Yusuke looked thoughtful. "Sooo, how do we have before the Beasts leave their castle and come to Earth themselves?"

"At this point they can't," she answered. "For years we've had them trapped within the city by the barrier wall. Now with this threat of insect invasion they hope to threaten us into opening the barrier."

"I see, so they give you the whistle if you open the wall," he mused.

"Instead we'll make a small breach in the barrier to let you in," Botan said. "Eventually, they'll find this hole themselves."

"And what if I'm not able to beat them?" Yusuke asked seriously.

"I don't think I have to tell you what would happen if all the demons from that city were unleashed on Earth."

There was a solemn silence.

"So the Reikai doesn't have any contingency plans?" I asked, frowning. Were they really so careless to place everything on  _one_  fourteen-year-old boy's shoulders?

Botan frowned. "If they do, they're top secret."

"I have to say Botan, this takes the record for confusing," Yusuke muttered.

"Yes," she said, "just try to remember the basics. You're good and the entire city is bad. Defeat the Beasts, take the whistle, and the case will be closed."

"Okay!" he snapped. "I just can't believe Koenma wants me to take out a whole city of beasts alone. Don't they send out teams for this kind of thing?" he demanded, looking annoyed.

"What about me, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, pointing at himself.

"Eeehhhhh…" Botan said, eyes huge. "Oh, Kuwabara, there's no such thing as demons! Yusuke and I were just joking!" she cackled nervously, throwing her hands in the air.

"Look, I'm not  _dumb_ ," he said flatly. "Or blind." He snatched a Makai insect out of the air, squishing it with his hand, making me cringe. "We all know that I can see supernatural stuff a whole lot better than Urameshi. And I'm not gonna sit around my house while Urameshi, who doesn't see things, lets monsters and insects take over  _my_  city. 'Cause I'm Kuwabara, and in case you guys forgot, I got a sword!"

"I'll go too," I said firmly, putting a hand on a hip and sending a glare at Kuwabara who looked like he was going to protest. "I'm not much a fighter, but I  _can_  exorcise demons."

Botan bent over next to Yusuke, looking dumbstruck and incredulous. "Well, Yusuke, I suppose there's no point in arguing with the eager." She straightened and waved her hand. "All right then, all of you follow me."

She lead us down the street, and then down a flight of stairs. To our left was a door, and Botan reached out and flung it open, kicking up dust in clouds. We coughed, and I stepped back until the air cleared. We crept into the building. Botan dropped to the floor on her hands and knees, tapping the ground like she was looking for a trap door.

"Banging on the floors of random warehouses," Yusuke commented, "seems like fun to me."

"This is where they were supposed to put the breach in the barrier," she said, turning and tapping on another part of the floor. Suddenly a crack appeared and Botan dug her fingers into it, lifting a piece of the floor up. "Bingo!"

We crowded around the hole and peered in. There was a hazy green mist mixed with flecks of radioactive yellow, colors that reminded me of poisonous frogs in the jungle. I'm not sure how far down it went until there was ground, and I felt myself grow uneasy.

"You  _are_  going to give us a rope ladder or something, right?" Yusuke asked, swallowing.

"No," Botan replied. "Jumping down should land you safely on the outer bank of the city." She looked up at me and Kuwabara. "You know you don't have to go through with this if you don't want to. No one will hold it against you," she said kindly.

Before we could reply, Yusuke said, "Oh, okay, good bye." Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

"Not you!" Botan snapped, tripping him with her white boot. He crashed into the floor. "The spirit detective does not have a choice in this. Kuwabara and…" she trailed off, glancing at me.

"Alice," I supplied, trying not to laugh at Yusuke.

"Kuwabara and Alice  _do_ ," she finished primly, yanking her foot out from underneath an annoyed Yusuke.

"Don't worry about me, lady," Kuwabara said as Botan and Yusuke got to their feet. "I sorta feel like a spirit detective myself now."

"I'm not backing out," I said simply, looking down at the misty hole. "I'm not about to let Yusuke and Kuwabara go alone anyway. They may be stronger, but they're still just kids."

Botan frowned, looking like she was filing that away. I knew that Botan was kind of an air-head sometimes, but she was also incredibly clever. She'd probably figure me out sooner or later. Not that I really minded since I needed to talk to Koenma at some point anyway.

"Are you sure, Alice?" Kuwabara asked, concerned, looking my small body over.

"Shizuru will kill me if you die," I said flatly. "You don't understand because you're younger, but being an older sister is a job that is taken very seriously. I'm sure she could never forgive herself if something bad happened to you. And stop looking at me like I'm going to drop dead at any moment."

He drew back, looking miffed. "Jeez, sorry for caring."

I gave him a wry smile. "I'm glad you care, but you also haven't seen me in action. Don't underestimate me."

He looked defeated. "Fine." He turned to the hole in the floor, expression somewhere between fierce and excited. "For us detectives, there's no turning back!" he cried, jumping in, disappearing into the mist.

Botan gasped, flying to the edge of the hole, with Yusuke, dumbfounded, beside her. "He really jumped," she murmured in amazement.

"Maybe…he'll be okay alone," Yusuke said hopefully.

Botan shot him a dirty look.

"Okay, okay," he muttered, getting ready to jump.

"Ah! Not yet!" she cried, reaching into her coat and pulling out two compact mirrors. "Here! I'm supposed to give you this communication mirror!"

" _Jeez!"_ he snapped, snatching a mirror out of her hand. "You nearly forgot to give me this thing? Lemme guess, without it I'll be  _killed_."

Deciding that I didn't need to leave Kuwabara alone in a city of demons too long, and whatever they were talking about wasn't all that important, I took a deep breath and dropped in after him. I heard Botan shout in surprise above me.

Falling through the mist reminded me of when I died and was floating for ages. I felt Kuwabara's energy nearby and I tried to float toward it. I couldn't see anything past the mist, but I knew I was close to him. Soon enough, I sensed Yusuke in the haze.

And suddenly there was a loud crack of thunder and I was falling, and there was a sharp 'oof' underneath me as I fell on top of someone. Dazed, I found myself staring up at a red and purple unnaturally dark sky. My senses were screaming at me; overloaded with demonic energy. This world didn't want me here. I scoffed, knowing better than to be afraid. Demons feed off fear, and in a world like this, being scared could actually kill you.

I rolled off of Kuwabara and Yusuke, getting to my feet and rubbing my head. They got to their feet, Yusuke cursing, and Kuwabara grunting. We turned and looked up at the castle rising from a small forest. It was hazy, fog surrounding it like a shawl on an old woman. The castle itself had a medieval appearance, but a plane of it stuck out of the sides like arms, and the stand-alone turret looked like a hat. With that, and the eye-like open windows near the top, the castle almost looked like the Tin Man from  _The Wizard of Oz_.

"Well," said Yusuke, "I guess this is it."

There came cracking from the ground, and Kuwabara and Yusuke fell into a taut crouch instinctively. I could sense energy beneath us that felt like a swarm of angry fireflies. The ground split open like broken concrete, and from their holes emerged hooded apparitions. Their hands reached toward us, clawed fingers stiff, eyeteeth flashing in with the lightning. Yellow eyes glowed underneath their hoods, like lanterns in a midnight swamp.

The first one laughed. "Yes, we've found a treat!" he exclaimed in a high-pitched squeal. More popped up around him and the other one, surrounding us. We were cornered. The three of us turned back to back, shielding each other.

"What are those things?" Kuwabara said to Yusuke.

"I'm not exactly sure," he replied, "but they are definitely not friendly."

The first one laughed again as the others clamored around us. "We will dig in!" he yelled, leaping at Yusuke, who pried him off and punched him away.

The three of us were quickly torn apart; wrenched in different directions from each other. They pulled Kuwabara toward a tree, overwhelming him, and they yanked me out into the open, clawed hands scrabbling at me, leaving scratches.

I felt that familiar wave of defensive anger, combined with a yearning to protect us all, and then unleashed a cyclone of viridian energy around myself. The weak apparitions clinging to me were immediately vaporized in my fury. The others stepped back, wary.

I hissed at them.

Before they could do anything else, there was a crack of thunder and a change in the atmosphere. All of us looked up to see a hole open in the sky, spewing lightning, dropping two floating orbs into air. The blue and the red circled around each other, then shot forward over the chaos in a glowing red light, sending waves of powerful demonic energy over us. The surrounding apparitions stiffened, uncertain. The red light hit the tree above Kuwabara and gradually turned a bright electric blue. With that, the apparitions finally had enough and ran away.

Yusuke and Kuwabara straightened as I approached them, glancing over my scratches. They were mostly superficial, so I wasn't worried, but they stung like a bitch.

"Well that worked," Yusuke muttered, examining the tree. "Whatever it was."

Kuwabara and I craned our necks to look up too, and saw Kurama and Hiei standing on a bough.

"It seems you can use some help," Kurama observed kindly.

"If those nothings were too much for you, we're going to have some serious trouble," said Hiei, scathingly.

With a flash of lightning, they leapt from the bough and landed nimbly on their feet before us.

"Well, well, well," Yusuke said, "the thieves." His voice carried a note of pleasure.

"Hello," Kurama said. His eyes slid over to me and his polite expression became unreadable.

"Well, what are you doing here?" Yusuke asked, excited.

Hiei offered an explanation. "Even that fool Koenma knew that it would take more than human power to kill the Saint Beasts," he said disdainfully.

"I suppose this is Koenma's contingency plan?" I wondered. Kuwabara was the only one paying attention to me, and he only shrugged, not knowing the answer either.

"By aiding in this mission, Koenma has assured us we could clean our slates in the Reikai," Kurama said.

Yusuke chuckled, "I guess Koenma heard me complaining. Hey, Kuwabara, lemme introduce you to these guys. That's Hiei, and his name is Kurama." He indicated to the appropriate demons.

"A pleasure," Kurama said. I knew he remembered Kuwabara, but obviously Kuwabara didn't remember him, so Kurama was reintroducing himself for the sake of being polite.

"Well, I don't have a clue what's going on, but it sure is nice to have a helping hand," Kuwabara said.

That comment was enough to annoy Hiei. "Helping is not the right word. Koenma may regard us as equals, but I do not. Once inside the castle, you'd better let us do all the work. As far as I'm concerned, we're  _baby-sitting_."

"Didn't know you were such a workhorse, Hiei," I said, raising an eyebrow.

He scoffed.

"Listen you puny jerk-face, I'm gonna have to beat you up if you keep talking down to us that way," Kuwabara said, clearly irritated.

"Let's avoid fighting. You're not worth it," Hiei retorted airily.

"Oh that's it!" Kuwabara took a swing at him and missed as Hiei zipped out of his way and into Yusuke's face. Kuwabara crashed to the ground.

"But you, detective, are a different story. I plan to take my revenge on you, so consider this fair warning."

"Oh, you wanna ignore me, huh?" Kuwabara demanded, swinging and crashing to the ground again as Hiei moved. I bent down beside him, wondering how to help him without hurting his pride.

"Finish current business before you start your own," Kurama said to Hiei, chiding him.

"Don't worry three-eyes, as soon we get out of this, I'll take you on," Yusuke said, as Kuwabara straightened up without my help, gritting his teeth at Hiei. "Now is this a perfect team or what?" His eyes slid over to me. "Although I don't know much about you, foreign-girl."

I puffed up, insulted. "I'm a Japanese citizen, you know. And my name is Alice."

"What was that thing you did to those … _things_  earlier?" he asked, ignoring my comments. His brown eyes were coolly curious.

"I exorcised them. That's probably the best way to describe my abilities," I said, looking at the sky thoughtfully. "I thought you were too busy to see that. But now you know the results of it anyway."

"So you're some sort of psychic?"

I shrugged. "I get the occasional bad vibe, but I'm not like Kuwabara or his sister. They're way more sensitive than I am."

Yusuke frowned, not fully understanding. He looked me up and down. "You're not a priest, are you?"

I snorted.

"To be honest, Yusuke, even I still haven't figured out the source of Alice's power," Kurama said kindly.

"It's her emotions," Hiei interjected, glancing at me. "I could sense it with my Jagan when you attacked me. Unlike a typical human psychic, you don't tap into your own energy. You use the holy energy that surrounds all humans like an aura, but you use your emotions like tools to mold the energy in whatever way that suits your needs."

Kurama blinked. "Of course. Whenever that divine energy makes contact with a demonic one, the divine one will prevail. That's why you manage to exorcise demons like you do, Alice, because you can control that holy energy that surrounds you."

If you're a little lost, let me explain. Within us and around us humans, there is an aura or a shroud of divine spiritual energy - Christians call it the Holy Spirit, Hindus call it shakti, and if you're agnostic then maybe you'd refer to it as the good in people (if you're an optimist). Whatever you call it, it is a pure and godly energy. It is as much of us as our soul is. Now consider that our creator gave us this energy as a way to ward off evil and protect ourselves. Consider this literally being a piece of God's energy - not necessarily in the Christian sense of God (though that works too), but also as in the entire universal good and love in the world. When that kind of energy touches a demon, an entity so vile and evil and so  _opposite_  of divine, the demon does not win. If you're like me and have a measure of control over the energy, you can keep it from killing or stripping the demon's powers, like what I did with Hiei, but it still severely hurts them.

But because this is the only type of energy I can use, I can't hurt humans - psychically anyway.

"That's really interesting," Kuwabara said, giving me an appraising look. He smirked. "So you attacked the midget here?"

Hiei's face was aloof. I decided that I'd rather not piss either one of them off and simply shrugged. "He wanted to measure my powers," I sort of fibbed. Okay, so yeah he was holding a sword to my neck and I felt threatened, but surely he didn't expect me to  _not_  retaliate? Obviously he wanted to see what my abilities were like. And probably see what the sword would do to me. Whatever. I still liked Hiei in a wary sort of way.

Kurama chuckled. "I suppose that's one way to put it."

Hiei shot him a glare and Kuwabara looked confused.

"Let's go," Yusuke said, growing impatient.

I gave Kuwabara a smile and started after Yusuke, picking my way through the rubble. The apparitions from earlier had left a huge mess of rock and upturned dirt. I managed to keep my balance for the most part though, but when I had to ease over a small boulder, Kurama appeared and took my forearm to help me down. His intent was clear as I hit the ground and he pulled me to the side. We fell back behind the others as we approached the city and Kurama turned to me, forest eyes giving me a calculative look.

"What are you doing here?" he asked finally.

I completely forgot that we hadn't really talked to each other in ages until I met his eyes and felt my stomach swoop. I looked away. "Volunteering. I couldn't let them go alone. They're just kids."

He shook his head. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Did you really think that you being here was a good idea?" There was a ring of incredulity and a tone of concern in his voice.

"Stop doubting my intelligence. It's insulting."

His expression became mild. "I apologize, but it's an actual question."

My fists clenched with anger. "Of course I thought it was a good idea. Why  _else_  would I be here? Do you have such a problem with my presence?"

"Don't be silly," he said, brows furrowing. He must have been wondering why I was angry. Kurama was always trying to figure me out. "I'm merely concerned for your safety."

I pursed my lips. "Kurama, I have been dealing with demons since I was fourteen years old - that is literally almost _half_  of my life. I really don't think you need to be overly concerned. I appreciate it anyway," I said, attempting some tact.

He sighed. "I'm afraid I can't help but worry. Sometimes I think you need to be scared out of your wits. It would good for you - life-changing even."

"So your problem is that I'm not terrified enough for you? Really?"

"Basically, yes. I feel that you do not value your life as much as you should."

"You're one to talk," I retorted.

He stopped and looked at me, expression caught somewhere between surprise and annoyance. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Kuwabara told me all of the details involving the fight between Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. Kurama happened to be there in just the nick of time to  _not_  knock the sword from Hiei's hand, but to actually step in  _front_  of it and let Hiei stab him instead. His logic was completely lost on me.

"You're the one that stepped in front of a sword, aren't you?" I returned, keeping my tone even.

His surprise was evident. "Oh, that. I wanted to shock Hiei at the time."

I supposed stabbing your BFF with an evil, demonic sword would be a little upsetting. "I see."

His face took on a disturbed look. "I'm still not comfortable with you being here. I would just prefer you to be out of harm's way."

I turned to him, feeling a serious, burning question resonate through my skull. "Is it because I'm a girl?"

He blinked and then glanced at me. "Alice, I'm quite old, and I have seen women do many great things. There's no doubt that you, yourself, are an extraordinary woman, however…" he trailed off, jaw set in a grim line. "The fact of the matter is that a woman of your size wouldn't be much good in a physical altercation. You are…fragile."

Jesus Christ. "I'm not a piece of glass," I grumbled, glaring at him. I was really angry about the size comment, but it wasn't like I could blame him for my genes. I was born this way, damn it.

He gave me a wry smile. "Of course not."

"And I could take you."

His smile became indulgent. "I'm happy to see your self-esteem intact. Maybe if you were six or seven inches taller, and fifty pounds heavier, and had over a thousand years of fighting experience - you might have a chance."

I turned away haughtily.

He chuckled.

"Well, it's not like you know how much I actually weigh anyway," I muttered. Because I'm skinny, I get uncomfortable when people know how much I weigh. I mean, I know my body is only fourteen, but even when I was a twenty-two year old, I was pretty slim. I got a lot of uncomfortable comments about how I needed to eat more back then, since it was Texas, and everything and everyone is bigger there. In Japan, being skinny isn't such a big deal, since everyone is generally fairly slim. But still, that whole  _eatmoreeatmoreeatmoreoryourrenotawomanbecauseyoudonthavecurves_  thing sort of sticks with you.

Kurama cleared his throat. "Actually, I do know your weight. The bathroom scale records it, remember?"

I blinked, seeing the grey digital scale in my head. It's numbers always blinked somewhere around '148' when I stepped on it. Realization hit me that that was Kurama's weight - not just some random numbers. "Oh," was all I said. I felt annoyed with myself.

He smiled. "Ninety-eight pounds is not a terrible weight for someone of your small height. You also run quite a bit, so you shouldn't feel bad if you're a pound or two under the average."

I waved my hands at him. I knew all of this stuff already. Frankly, I would have preferred him to tell me to eat more - this just felt like he was patronizing me. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Shut up."

He drew back, amused.

Yusuke looked back at us. "Quit chit-chatting you two and hurry up."

I gave him a mock salute, which he returned with an eye-roll. Hiei glanced back at us and gave me a smug smirk as we approached him.

"What?" I asked him, feeling uneasy. Did Hiei hear Kurama say my weight? Shit, he probably did - now he'll probably pick on me about it. Time to grow a thicker skin.

"I knew you were tiny, but your weight is pathetic," came the cool remark.

"Die," was my vicious retort.

Kuwabara looked down at me as I came to walk beside him. "What's wrong?" he asked, seeing my annoyed expression.

"I get it, okay, I'm a tiny person. I'm short and scrawny, but I really don't understand why everyone in the entire freakin' world has to comment on it," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets and looking back up at Kuwabara. "You know?"

He frowned and glanced back at Hiei. "Is he bugging you, Alice?"

I blinked at him. Kuwabara was getting protective of me? Well, I guessed that wasn't really out of his character, especially since he couldn't stand Hiei. I shrugged and shook my head. "Just blowing off steam. I don't like to hear about my size. I really don't."

Kuwabara gave me an encouraging smile. "Hey, you know what? Just ignore all those people that talk about it. Just because you're small doesn't mean you're any less of a person - you don't need to listen to negativity like that. I think you're fine just the way you are. In fact, if you were in inch taller, you just wouldn't be Alice."

I smiled at him, bashfully. "That's really nice of you, Kuwabara. Kinda just made my day there."

He gave a happy snicker. "That's just what I do!"

"We're getting close," I heard Yusuke say on the other side of Kuwabara. I looked up and saw that we were already half-way through the city. Between Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara, I hadn't been paying all that much attention to my surroundings. The air felt heavy - smothering even. No one was around.

"It's creepy," Kuwabara said, wrinkling his nose.

I nodded in agreement.

We finally came to the castle's entrance. It's opening was a huge jagged mouth, like a carnivorous monster's. It's eyes sat above the opening, looking down and watching us. Whether it was a warning, merely an eccentric door, or both - it was really weird.

"Well, now this is homey," Yusuke said dryly.

"So, guess we're just gonna walk right in?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama spoke from beside me. "Any prize worth having usually requires a risk," he responded thoughtfully. I wondered if he was thinking back to his Youko Kurama days.

"I say we make 'em come out here and fight us upfront like they're not a bunch of sissies," Kuwabara said, looking determined.

Hiei gave a dry chuckle. "You're sense of strategy is amazing."

"Are you talking to me, runt-boy?" Kuwabara demanded.

Yusuke cringed at the brewing bickering. "Let's  _go_ ," he ordered before Hiei could retort, stepping into the cave.

We followed after him, down the claustrophobic tunnel, making our way to the entrance ahead. I suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. It seemed like something was supposed to happen here, but I couldn't exactly remember what it was.

There was a fluttering of wings, like a thousand birds taking flight, and a strange shape appeared at the end of the tunnel. A round middle and bat-like wings made up the silhouette, until it came into light. The creature was a dark dreamy purple and had a huge golden eye that took up most of his body. Small tentacles dangled from the round middle like wet noodles.

"Welcome to Maze Castle," the creature said in a high voice.

"Whoa!" Kuwabara exclaimed, looking fascinated. "It talked!"

The creature ignored Kuwabara's outburst. "Those who enter Maze Castle must be tried by the Gate of Betrayal."

Yusuke's expression was grim as he clenched his fist. "What do you mean 'tried'?"

The creature turned and flew out of the tunnel and stopped at the stone wall at the end. A section of the wall opened, revealing a lever. A purple tentacle wrapped around the lever and pulled it down; the creature's golden eye glittering with malice.

The building started to shake, and I looked up to see the stone ceiling rushing down at us.


	13. Gunslinger

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Thirteen: Gunslinger**

* * *

I know it was stupid to not even try to run, but there really wasn't even any time to think. My hands just flew up over my head to stop the ceiling to protect myself. I was in awe when I found the ceiling still. I could feel the weight, the pressure, crushing down on me, straining my muscles, but ceiling must have been as thick as a door was tall. I looked around at the guys and found them in the same situation - hands above their heads, teeth gritted or faces screwed up with strain.

Kurama's eyes found mine. "Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

"I'm fine," I replied, feeling my arms tremble a bit.

"Heavy, isn't it?" I heard the floating eye-ball ask. He was somewhere above us outside of the tunnel. "The senses in the corridor are most intelligent. A complex assembly of gears adapts the ceiling's weight precisely to the strength of its victim. Of course, there is a catch. Just enough leeway remains for one person to escape, leaving their friends to be crushed by the weight."

"Damn it," Yusuke cursed.

The purple creature floated down in my line of sight. "The decisions must be made quickly. Not even the five of you combined can hold the ceiling for long - insist on teamwork and everyone will be crushed. Only by turning on your friends will one of you be able to escape. Only the traitor among you deserves to enter Maze Castle. That's why it's called the Gate of Betrayal, you see." With that, the creature cackled and flew up, out of my sight.

"Damn, I'd like to get my hands on that bat-thing!" Kuwabara snapped. I saw his knee give a bit under the weight felt the ceiling grow heavier.

Hiei growled. "Stay focused on the weight, or you'll kill us all!"

"Oh sure, blame me, I bet I'm holding up a lot more weight than you are!" he retorted angrily.

"Shut it, Kuwabara!" Yusuke said through gritted teeth, trying to stop a fight between Kuwabara and Hiei before it really began. I was beginning to think Yusuke was a lot more perceptive than I realized at first. Or maybe he just knew what pissed Hiei off.

"Well, I'm not about to die for the sake of you worthless humans," Hiei ground out.

"Don't you even consider it, Hiei," Kurama warned.

Hiei was in front of me, so all I could do was glare at the back of his head. "Gee, thanks, jerk-face. Nice to know you've got our back."

He managed to turn his head slightly to glare at me from his peripheral vision. His stoplight red eyes were angry. "Did I ever say that I had your back in the first place, you stupid girl? I don't recall ever trading friendship bracelets or baking cookies with any one of you."

"Well, you know we like you for your sense of humor, Hiei," I said dryly, flexing my elbows so they didn't lock up. My muscles burned. "It's why we keep you around."

He rolled his eyes.

"Man…I knew we should have played some trust games," Yusuke muttered, thinking of the situation.

"This has always been my favorite part of the trial," said the creature from somewhere outside of the tunnel, surprising me. I thought he was gone. "Watching the way you squirm as your muscles pop and tear under the ceiling's weight. But of course the best is your eyes. Seeing the gears of thought turn to desperation, thinking, questioning yourself. How long can I hold this? Will I die this way? Will one friend betray us and escape while we flatten? Or should I be the one?"

"Just…ignore…that  _thing_ ," Kuwabara strained, sweating. "Stick together!"

The wall came down another few inches and I felt like my spine would break.

Kuwabara continued, looking at us all fiercely. "And if anybody tries to run, I swear I'll drag 'em back myself!"

Hiei scoffed. "And I suppose you think it'd be noble if we all died as a team?"

"That's right!"

Yusuke turned his head. "Here's a thought: let's shut up and find a way out!"

I frowned, looking at the back of Hiei's head. He would be most ideal to send out, simply because of his sheer speed. In addition, if there were any sort of traps or other issues, Hiei could avoid them. I really doubted that he would be so ready to betray us - particularly Kurama. I turned to Yusuke. "We're going to have to send someone out there, and I think it should be Hiei," I said to his back.

Yusuke turned his head toward me. "Yeah, I was thinking that too, actually." He looked at Hiei, who's expression was thoughtful. "Hiei…you're a lot faster than any of us. We'll hold the ceiling up while you go and flip the switch."

"Are you crazy? We can't trust that guy! Just look - he doesn't care at all about us!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

Hiei looked amused. "Your ugly friend has a good point detective."

" _Who's ugly?!_ " Kuwabara demanded.

"Are you sure you want to trust me? I've already vowed my revenge on you. Maybe I'll handle that now," Hiei suggested.

Yusuke looked at him from over his shoulder. "Yeah, but I don't think quick death's your style. Besides,  _she_  obviously trusts you," he said, glancing back at me. I gave a half-smile. "I'll let out all of the spirit power I have to give us all a little more time while you run to the switch. Just don't trip." His expression turned peaceful at Hiei's confusion. " _I_  trust you," Yusuke said to him. He turned back to the front. " _Now go!_ " he yelled.

Hiei's body tightened like a coiled spring for a moment in time, and then he suddenly disappeared from my vision as he shot forward. The ceiling became ten times heavier as his strength left us, and it sunk down several more inches. Poor Kuwabara was bent over like a kyphosis patient.

The purple creature's laughter was cut short as Hiei appeared in front of the lever. He made like he was going to pull it, but suddenly he froze and looked back at us with a strange expression of realization.

"What's the deal? Pull the stupid switch already!" Kuwabara yelled.

Hiei's expression turned into one of worry - a what's-gonna-happen-when-I-pull-this-switch look.

The creature floated down to Hiei's eye-level. "There's no need to be hasty, my friend. What have they ever done for you? Leave them, and you can come into the castle. With the invasion of Earth, the Four Saint Beasts will be able to control the future. Be  _smart_ , join  _us._ Perhaps you can be the general of our demon army."

Hiei's face was thoughtful.

"Don't you dare, you creep - if it weren't for our help, you'd still be screaming with the rest of us!" Kuwabara yelled.

"Stop doubting him!" I hissed at Kuwabara. "Something's wrong and he's trying to figure out what it is."

I'm not sure if Hiei heard me, since I was attempting to be quiet, but he turned away from the switch and gave a dark chuckle.

"What are you laughing about?" Kuwabara demanded. Then he glanced back at me. "Are you sure, Alice?" he asked quietly. "You know I don't trust him."

I nodded. But Hiei spoke before I could reply.

"Take a guess, you fool."

Kuwabara turned as red as Kurama's hair. "Damn you! I told you, Alice! That guy's gonna leave us here to die!"

I shushed him. "He's acting," I muttered under my breath. Judging by Kuwabara's expression, he didn't believe me. I glanced at Kurama, but he looked doubtful too. I was behind Yusuke, so I couldn't tell if he agreed with me or not.

"Yes," said the purple creature, "you find amusement in their pain. Now imagine the satisfaction that will come from their final screams!" It giggled with delighted laughter.

The wall came down about six more inches, bringing us to our knees. I was beginning to get claustrophobic and sweaty. I do not like small, dark, spaces. Ever since I was small, I was always afraid of walls closing in on me, getting squished, people sitting on me - that sort of thing. My dad used to squish me in the couch when I was a kid, but I never found it the least bit funny.

"Hiei!" Kuwabara and I called in unison - me sounding more desperate.

"A wise choice," said the creature, "the boulder would have crushed you anyway."

Aha.

Hiei's face telegraphed my thoughts exactly, and then it fell into an angry scowl. I could sense Hiei's energy surge and with a flash of bright metal, the creature suddenly gained a grotesque vertical slash right down the middle of it's creepy body. Hiei appeared again in front of the switch and pushed the lever up.

The wall, thankfully, stopped pressing down on us and I nearly collapsed, ready to go worship Hiei as a god.

"He came through!" Yusuke exclaimed happily. I guessed he did have his doubts about Hiei after all.

I looked at Hiei and frowned at him. He was looking up expectantly, sword still unsheathed, as calm as a summer's breeze.

That's when the boulder crushed him.

It made such a loud sound when it hit the ground that I thought I had gone deaf for a moment. It sounded like an explosion, and dust billowed out around it, filling the air. It made the castle move so much I was afraid that the ceiling would crush us again.

"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled.

We crawled out from under the space and tried to make something out, but the dust in the air was too thick to see through. And then we looked up to see Hiei on top of the boulder, looking as poised as a ballerina, ordering the flopping, bleeding purple creatures to tell its masters to beg for mercy. The creature flew away, making incoherent noises of pain.

Yusuke froze with surprise for a moment, and then sighed with relief.

"Hey, are you all right?" Kuwabara asked.

"Oh yeah," he replied patting his shoulder. "I just can't feel my arms right now." He straightened up as Hiei landed in front of us, giving the fire demon a thumbs up. "I knew you'd save us, you jerk." He went over to Hiei, giving him a friendly pat on the back. "But you did have me worried. Hell of an actor, but you know not everybody can pretend to laugh at their dying friends."

"Heh, friends are just a crutch for the weak," Hiei retorted. "And I  _wasn't_  acting."

"Say what?" Kuwabara demanded. He turned to me. "See, he even fooled you! Don't trust him!"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't take everything at face-value, Kuwabara. When it comes to reading other people, I miss nothing."

Hiei turned to point a finger at Yusuke. "Don't get confused. The only reason I saved you was because I might need your help." With that, he walked away.

Kurama stepped behind Yusuke. "It's his way of saying you're welcome. You'll learn."

"Riiight."

"Well, he still ticks me off!" Kuwabara said, clenching his hands into fists and looking aggravated.

Kurama and I exchanged a brief, knowing look. We both had known Hiei longer and knew him better, so we could tolerate his standoffish attitude better than Kuwabara could. I gave Kuwabara a slight smile. "They can't all be sweet and cuddly teddy bears like you, Kuwabara. We've got to throw a gruff guy in the mix now and then to keep things interesting."

"Yes," Kurama added quickly, with a teasing smile. "Like putting chili powder in chocolate."

Kuwabara's face screwed up in disgust. "That's a horrible analogy, and I am not a teddy bear."

Yusuke laughed and patted him on the back. "Sure you aren't, buddy."

"I'm not!"

Kurama looked at Hiei's retreating back. "Perhaps we should get moving. Hiei will leave us behind."

"Good riddance," Kuwabara muttered, kicking the ground.

I looked up at Kuwabara as we started walking after Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. His face was tight with annoyance but he brightened up when he saw me looking at him. I gave him a smile. "I know you don't like him, but just for right now, could you try to be a little civil? He's really good friends with Kurama and he's sorta nice to me for the most part. I would be really happy," I wheedled. "I don't really like fighting."

His expression was sulky. "But he's just such a jerk, Alice. Every time he looks at me, I just want to punch him."

I sighed, giving up. Looking around I noticed the stone hallway we were walking in was a horror-movie-dark. Lit torches flickered against the wall, casting eerie shadows around us. The stone pillars that lined the walls were tall and had monster faces. Usually, I preferred stone over brick or wood, but these demons' medieval tastes in décor really made me consider my preferences.

An annoying trill came from Yusuke, and Kuwabara jumped nine feet in the air. "What is that thing?" he asked as Yusuke pulled out the communicator Botan gave him.

"It's just the communication mirror that I got from Botan," Yusuke explained mildly, flipping it open.

"Hey, Yusuke," I heard from the device. "It's Botan from the living world, do you copy?" I stood next to Yusuke, craning my neck to look at the mirror. Botan was smiling and holding a victory sign with her fingers.

"Yeah," Yusuke replied, glancing at me. I stepped back so I wouldn't be in his way. I had just wanted to see the quality of the mirror, and it was pretty good. Kuwabara pushed Yusuke's head out of the way and pulled the mirror to face him.

"Hey, what's up, Botan?" he asked, dorky smile on his face. "This is the brave Kuwabara reporting, at your service. I'm taking very good care of Urameshi."

Botan gave a nervous chuckle. "I'm so glad to hear that. I've got things under control here as well, more or less. The Makai insects only like to nest in depressed people's minds. That narrows down my search a bit. I've also found a spy for the Saint Beasts. I just can't figure out how they're getting past the barrier. See, I think there are demons from outside the city, taking orders along the wall."

Yusuke's and Kuwabara's eyes suddenly got huge. "Watch out!" they yelled at the mirror together. I heard the sound of Botan's bat hitting someone in the head.

"Don't worry," she said, "those guys are worthless. The real challenge is finding those Makai insects. I've only caught fifteen of those buggers and I've been searching nearly an entire day," she complained.

Kuwabara got a salacious grin on his face as he brought the mirror closer to him. "Don't worry baby! You'll - Ow! Ow!"

Yusuke snatched the mirror from Kuwabara, punching him as he went. "Fifteen!" he demanded, "that's not much help!" he yelled into the mirror.

Her tone was calm. "Yusuke, finding people controlled by the insects -" here there was the clang of her bat connecting to someone's skull again "-takes time. That's why you need to get that whistle!"

"We're trying," Yusuke replied, "but this castle is kinda rough."

"Well of course it is," she responded matter-of-factly. "No one's survived before."

And then she hung up.

Yusuke cursed and bitched for a minute, but fell silent as we started walking again. I turned inwardly too, wondering how reckless I was just being here. It's not as if I've never done risky stuff before - just not necessarily anything that could have gotten me killed. Well, except for driving. I hate to admit it, but I've got some bad road rage problems. I used to always get back at people that cut me off or followed me too closely. I hate people that can't drive.

"Kurama," Yusuke said, interrupting my inner rant about some asshole that almost crashed into me the day before I died. "What do you know about these four Saint people? Botan pushed us like a trio of cows down that hole and I didn't get a chance to ask her."

"She wouldn't have told you much, I'm afraid. Ever since the barrier wall was raised around the city, Reikai intelligence virtually forgot this place existed," Kurama explained with an amused smile.

"What do you know?" Kuwabara demanded.

"Let's just say that when you see their bodies, you may be very surprised," he added.

"Terrified," a loud gravely voice cut in. "Isn't that more like it?"

Kuwabara jumped. "H-Hey! Who said that?"

The disembodied voice laughed roughly. "There's a door behind you - take it."

We turned and saw a pair of large metal double doors, curved like a bow around the top. Yusuke and Kuwabara flung them open. "Ladies first," Yusuke said, glancing at me, suppressing a grin.

"Oh, haha," I mumbled rolling my eyes, moving in front of him. "You're such a card, Yusuke." He ignored me, taking in the room. It was expansive with torches lit around it, except for the very back. I couldn't see through the darkness of the back of the room anymore than I could see through a black wall.

Yusuke moved back around me and picked a torch from a pillar. Winding his arm back, he threw the torch across the room. If I remembered correctly there was supposed to be some sort of rocky monster here, and I found myself taking a step back.

The light from the torch cast an eerie yellow on Genbu, like a kid holding a flashlight under his face while telling scary stories. Except Genbu wasn't a kid; he was a creepy enchanted talking rock. And a demon.

He gave a gravely laugh. "Welcome  _trespassers_ ," he said, eyes glowing yellow.

Kuwabara jumped as he looked Genbu over. "Okay, I'm surprised."

Genbu decided to introduce himself. "I am Genbu of the Four Saint Beasts. Do you have a request before you die?"

"Gee, that's lovely," I muttered.

Yusuke can always be counted on for a smartass remark. "Yeah, tell me how a beast is a saint. I'm lost."

Genbu ignored him, and instead indicated to the stairwell behind him with his tail. "This staircase is the only way up to the castle tower. You can either defeat me or go up on your own, or -" and then I missed the rest of his threat because his voice was to monotonous and he crashed his tail loudly into the ground. It probably wasn't that important anyway. Bad guys were always full of hot air. "Why don't you all attack me at once? Then the last one left won't feel lonely."

Kuwabara was taken aback. "He's a rock, Urameshi! How are we supposed to fight against a talking rock?"

"Anyone have a sledgehammer?" I asked dryly.

Kuwabara gave me a strange look. "Aren't you scared, Alice?"

I felt my jaw clench. The reason I was turning to sarcasm and dry humor was more or less to diffuse my own tension as well as Kuwabara's, and to ignore what little fear I did have. I assessed Genbu with my energy, feeling out for his energy level. My first impression of him was that he wasn't really all that strong, and I found myself correct. "He's on the lower levels of C class. I'm not all that concerned about him.  _I_  could take him."

Hiei gave a noise of amusement. "Your self-confidence is truly amazing."

"Took you on, didn't I?" I retorted.

Kurama stepped forward, moving past Yusuke. " _I_  will fight him." His expression was calm, but I could see something underneath it, a desire to twist and stretch his powers. The thrill of competition, and how a little piece of him wanted to destroy something. It bubbled underneath his skin like magma.

"Are you sure?" Yusuke asked.

"It would be ill-advised for all of us to attack him without first knowing his powers. Besides I could hardly let Hiei get all of the credit for this mission, now can I?" he teased, glancing back at said demon. Hiei looked away in annoyance. Kurama turned back around and faced Genbu.

"You want to die, one by one? I can do that too," the rock demon said.

Yusuke looked worried. "Hey, wouldn't we be better off trying to lure him to that drop down ceiling or something?"

"Obviously you are underestimating Kurama. Do you know why I chose him to be my comrade?" Hiei said, rather than asked. His face took on a stony expression. "To avoid fighting him myself." He pointed at Kurama's back turning Yusuke's attention back to him. "Watch. He's more cutthroat than I am in battle, and unbelievably precise."

Kuwabara was doubtful. "I don't know guys. He's still a talking rock."

While Kurama and Genbu were having a stare-down, Yusuke squinted his eyes at something, taking a step forward. "Hey! Stone-man's doing something freaky with his tail!"

Behind Kurama, I saw the pointed end of Genbu's tail emerge from the ground. Reflexively, I found myself pulling up my energy, ready to lash out at Genbu to protect Kurama's back. But a hot hand went around my elbow and Hiei jerked me around to look at him, breaking my concentration.

"Don't," he said, glancing at Kurama and back at me. "He knows it's there, and he will  _not_  appreciate you interfering." His mouth was hard, but didn't match the curiosity in his eyes. "You've never seen him fight before." It was meant to be more of a question, but it came out like a statement.

I blinked at him. "No." Then I frowned because that was sort of a lie, because I  _did_  read some of the manga, but I really only remembered bits and pieces of it. The only thing I could remember about Kurama's fighting style was that it was borderline passive-aggressive. And that made me nervous.

Hiei didn't seem to read much into my frown, and his chin jutted forward at Kurama. "Well, then you're in for a treat."

I looked back at Kurama as Hiei said that, and saw him leap about nine feet in the air like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. He was trying to avoid Genbu's sharp tail, but the tail was too agile for a straight up leap, and it sliced Kurama across the stomach. I flinched as blood spewed from his abdomen, but he landed well enough so he couldn't have been hurt too badly.

"Kurama!" Yusuke yelled, hands tightening into fists.

Genbu laughed. "Thanks to my body structure I can become one with any type of rock."

I missed the rest of what he said though, because I was wondering if he managed to get laid with that body structure. Perhaps he managed to find a lady rock? And then I wondered if he had a pet rock named Fred by any chance. Maybe him and his lady rock took Fred for a walk around the city every evening after dinner. I wondered if Fred ate shoes. I was getting distracted too easily.

"And since this chamber's made completely of stone - I have you surrounded."

Hiei glanced at me for some reason.

"What?" I asked.

He turned back to the fight, mouth hard again. "Nothing that concerns you, stupid girl."

I felt myself give him a wry smile. "Ah, guess I'm so gorgeous that it's hard to resist looking at me now and then."

"Your vanity is astounding," he retorted, unaffected. His eyes remained fixed on Kurama's back.

"You don't know the half of it."

Kurama got to his feet, holding his stomach. Yusuke cringed. "Oh man, now he's wounded."

"We should help," Kuwabara said, eyes huge and expression nervous.

Kurama heard them, even though they weren't speaking very loudly. I realized that for a long time, I had been underestimating his physical abilities. I mean, super-hearing?  _Super-leaping?_ Just how strong  _was_  he? Kurama turned his face to look back at Yusuke and Kuwabara, green eyes firm. "There's no need. I've been hurt, but he will  _not_  take me by surprise again. _"_

Genbu laughed again. "Wait until you see the full extent of my power. Then you won't be so confident."

Kurama's back was tense as Genbu started sinking into the floor.

"Do something, Kurama!" Kuwabara yelled.

Genbu disappeared underground, and I stretched out my senses, searching for the demon.

Yusuke growled. "Now he could be anywhere."

"I can't even sense Genbu's energy," Kuwabara said.

I frowned. "I can sense him." Why couldn't Kuwabara? The wheels in my head turned as I developed a theory.

"Where is he, Alice?" Kurama asked, without looking back at me.

"Behind you, of course," I replied as Genbu burst from the ground. "Mind his tail."

"Same old trick," Kurama muttered as Genbu roared. He clearly didn't pay attention to my warning, as he turned his back to the pointed appendage.

Yusuke reiterated helpfully.  _"WATCH FOR HIS TAIL!"_

"He's getting attacked from both sides!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

Kurama dodged Genbu's fist and flipped over his tail, landing just in time to see Genbu missing again. He crouched for a moment, waiting for my direction.

"Underneath you," I offered.

He leapt away as Genbu's hand shot out of the ground, making a grab for his body. He twisted in the air and flipped again to avoid the tail. He landed, and Genbu sunk back into the ground.

Genbu's laughter echoed throughout the room. "You can never defeat me by just running away."

Kurama looked amused and mildly annoyed. "Yes, Genbu, I believe you're right." He reached back and pulled a rose from his hair.

Yusuke seemed surprised. "A flower?"

"That's weird. If he's trying to win the beast over - I don't think it's a good idea," Kuwabara said.

Hiei did not look amused, but he gave a short mocking laugh anyway.

"It's no ordinary flower," Kurama explained, turning it over in his fingers. The rose petals escaped and floated in the air, multiplying and surrounding him. With a flick of his wrist Kurama's rose transformed into a long vine-y whip, complete with pointed thorns and everything.

Genbu laughed. "You still don't understand your problem. What good will that weapon do if you can't even tell where I am?"

Apparently, Genbu hadn't noticed me giving Kurama directions. I figured he was as dumb as a box of rocks. Pun intended. Kurama played along though, looking amused, saying, "Yes, not being able to find you is a problem."

"You're not scared are you? Well, we'll soon change that."

For a moment in time, Kurama was all I could see. He stood still, body tense, senses open, but then his wrist twitched and he suddenly leapt into the air the same time Genbu came out of the ceiling. "Found you!" he exclaimed, slashing at the rock demon. He hadn't needed me to tell him where Genbu was. I wondered why.

"It's over," Hiei said. "The thorns on Kurama's whip can slice through any substance - including solid stone."

Genbu fell into several large chunks behind Kurama as he landed. "How did you find me?" Genbu's head asked.

"Your smell," Kurama said matter-of-factly. "After filling the room with the rose's sweet aroma, your putrid stench was easy for me to find."

Genbu groaned - secretly I thought he might have been embarrassed.

But now really, Kurama had super smelling senses too? Where did the vast amount of physical abilities end? I felt mildly irritated, mostly because I never knew of the extent of his prowess. We had never been in a situation together where I had seen him display his abilities before. I had never gone to see him train, and of course, I couldn't remember anything from the manga. It had been so long since I read it, even before I died.

Kurama turned back to us, and the four of us approached him. Yusuke chuckled cheerfully. "That's not fair. Why is it my fights never end that quickly?"

Kuwabara grinned, making a crummy joke, as was his typical behavior. "You beat him in one blow. Now that's what I call a whip."

"You idiots," Hiei said. "It only looked easy because Kurama was the one fighting. If you had fought, you would have died in under a minute."

Kuwabara was on him like a duck on a June bug. His irritated face was inches from Hiei's. "Why does everything you say make me wanna bash your face in?" he demanded.

Hiei scoffed, and I wondered what was going through his unreadable mind.

"Listen, I just happened to place third in Genkai's fighting tournament. The only people that beat me were Urameshi and an evil monster," Kuwabara bragged, taking Hiei's scoff as a doubt of his abilities. I suddenly realized that Kuwabara had a desire to prove himself to the fire demon. I didn't really understand why, and maybe I wouldn't have if I had known the reasons. Maybe it was because Hiei just had a tendency to bring that out in people. To make them want to impress him. To make them push themselves harder. Maybe Hiei should be a teacher.

"What's your point?" Hiei asked off-handedly, expression haughty.

Kuwabara snatched Hiei by his pearly white scarf and yanked him up to his angry face.  _"You little -"_

"Children!" Yusuke admonished, looking irritated. Kurama and I looked on in amusement as Kuwabara and Hiei glared daggers at each other. "Would you mind saving it for the bad guys?"

Kuwabara released an annoyed Hiei, turning back to Yusuke. "Okay, but he started it," Kuwabara grumbled.

Yusuke turned to Kurama. "I guess now we go up the stairs."

Kurama nodded and then froze, looking a bit surprised. "It seems my fight is not over." I realized what he meant when I felt Genbu's energy flicker like the torches on the walls.

The pieces of Genbu shuddered and started putting themselves back together like puzzle pieces. An invisible hand playing games. He laughed again and was suddenly upright putting his head back on his neck. "Who's dead?" he asked. "Not me."

"Uh, guys, I think he's putting himself, uh, together," Kuwabara observed lamely.

"Disassemble me all you like. I'll come back together every time. Actually, it makes for a very nice attack!" he shouted, shooting his rocky hands at Kurama. His forearms and head soon followed, and Kurama retaliated by swinging his whip around, breaking the parts that were shot at him into smaller pieces.

"Right in the head! Let's see him come back from that now," Yusuke exclaimed.

And so Genbu did. All the tiny pieces Kurama created were put back together and Genbu stood up straight like a building. "Like to try again?" he mocked.

Kurama turned around in surprise and newfound determination.

"Let's end this," the rock demon said. "How'd you like to be stoned to death?" With that he shoots off more body parts at Kurama, forcing him to dodge and leap out of the assaulting stream. The stream stopped at the ceiling and gathered into a loose, rocky ball. They trembled for a moment in the air before they started moving Kurama's way again.

"They're coming back!" Kuwabara yelled.

Kurama did something odd when the rocks came back for him. Instead of moving out of the way and suggesting I take a swing at the demon ( _like he should have done_ ), he stood right in front of the onslaught, like a suicidal person stands in the middle of a busy highway at night.

"What the hell is he doing? He's gonna get killed," Yusuke demanded.

Hiei seemed to sense my unease and his hand went around my elbow again. "Don't interfere," he reminded me harshly.

"But -"

" _Don't."_  His stoplight red eyes caught mine, and I could see that Hiei knew something I didn't. His eyes slid back to Kurama. "He's seen something."

Kurama disappeared in the stream of rocks and the sound of them thunking and glancing off of his body made me wince. Why was he doing this to himself? Was I invisible? Couldn't  _I_ prevent his pain if he would let me? Was he just stupid?

"You're not even fighting back now. Those blows must have made you insane," Genbu said, pulling the pieces of himself back together.

Kurama gave a little laugh of amusement.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. Now you're laughing at nothing. Wait - how are you on the ceiling?" he asked. I bit back harsh laughter at the fact that Genbu's head was now settled in his pelvic area and upside down. In fact, all of his limbs were in the wrong places, including his tail.

Kuwabara and Yusuke of course immediately burst into raucous laughter.

"I've heard of brass balls before, but come on!"

"Yeah, I'd like to see him go to the toilet!"

Genbu gave an embarrassed moan. "What did you do to me?" he demanded of Kurama.

Kurama held up a pulsing red rock, looking almost coy. "I took this."

"What's that?" Genbu asked.

"I believe this is the equivalent of the hypothalamus portion of your brain. It regulates all the functions of your body, including the process of putting yourself back together," Kurama said.

"Uhh, what?"

"It seems to emit an energy signal whenever you separate, making it very easy to find," he added.

"You can't do this! Give that to me!"

Kurama gave a calm smile and tossed the red rock into the air.

"Give it back!" Genbu yelled.

"Farewell," Kurama said shortly, lifting his hand and flicking his whip at the rock, slicing it in half. And then Genbu was gone, crumbled, nothing more than dust.

"I don't think he liked that," Kuwabara said, laughing.

"Good work, Kurama!" Yusuke praised.

Kurama suddenly grabbed his middle and grunted, falling to his knee. I was by his side in a second, before the rest of them, examining him and trying to pull his arm away from his stomach. He wouldn't let me of course, the jerk. His body was probably covered in bruises from all of the rocks hitting him, and I didn't even know how bad the wound on his stomach was.

"Are you okay?" Yusuke asked, voice concerned, leaning over me.

Hiei's eyes were wide. "If Kurama is injured, we're going to have some problems," he said matter-of-factly.

Kurama looked up at the group. "I'm sorry, Yusuke."

"Eh, you've earned yourself a break anyway," he replied easily.

"Yeah," agreed Kuwabara, "I'll take the next guy."

I turned to Kurama feeling annoyed and a little hurt. He met my gaze almost stoically, waiting for me to speak. "I wanted to help," I finally said. "But Hiei was against it because you would have been. I could have done something you know."

He blinked, not expecting that. His expression turned thoughtful. "Well, Hiei was right, of course." He didn't say anything else, wincing instead.

Kuwabara did, however. Leaning down so that his face was next to mine, he murmured, "A man has his pride, Alice."

I sighed, taking Kurama's arm and helping him to his feet. He seemed subdued and a little thoughtful, but he said nothing. I turned to Kuwabara, who immediately took Kurama's other side. He smiled slightly at me in an attempt to smooth my ruffled feathers.

"Uh, so Alice, I wonder why you could sense Genbu when I couldn't," Kuwabara said, trying to lighten my mood.

I smiled at his attempt, because that was just how Kuwabara was, so perceptive and bright. "I think it's because I've dealt with demons longer than you. You're just coming into your power, so if there's a big energy like Genbu's that your senses aren't ready to perceive without eradicating, your mind will protect itself. However, you can sense smaller energies than I can - like that guy in the trench coat that Botan knocked out, remember? I barely noticed him."

Kuwabara frowned. "Was it like that for you in the beginning?"

I tried to remember. "I don't know. Probably. It's been years."

He chuckled. "What - like since you were a little kid? That must've sucked."

I didn't say anything, because I wasn't really sure I wanted to tell him how old I really was.

A lady has her vanity, you know.


	14. Scheiße

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Fourteen: Scheiße**

* * *

After moving further into the castle, Yusuke called us to a halt, and we rested by a large hole in the wall - which was actually supposed to be some sort of window. The wind that blew in was warm, not offering much relief from the heat from running. I took my jacket off and tied it around my waist; straightening my white blouse out. It was one of my favorites, and I knew without a doubt something bad was going to happen to it.

Yusuke turned to Kurama, eyeing his tired, wounded appearance. There was a bruise showing up on his cheek where one of the rocks had hit him. Yusuke frowned. "Kurama. How terrible is that wound?"

Kurama looked down at his hand, judging the amount of blood. "Fine, as long as I can walk."

"He'll survive, but he's in no shape to fight. That means we only have three fighters left, and one of them is worthless," Hiei said flatly.

Kuwabara opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. "Don't I count, Hiei?" I gave him a kicked puppy look. Why didn't he include me?

His mouth was hard again as he looked away. His face was unreadable. For once he had nothing to say.

I frowned and glanced at Kurama for reassurance, but his expression was just as unreadable. Yusuke looked doubtful, and Kuwabara looked uncertain. I felt my blood-pressure rise with a wave of anger. "Well?" I demanded, sweeping my gaze at all of them. "Spit it out."

Yusuke sighed. "Look, since the numbers don't match up, let's just save you for back-up, okay?"

Hiei finally turned to me and scowled. "Kurama has already told you that you would be worthless in a physical altercation. You're small and weak and  _soft_. You aren't even a decent fighter by human standards."

I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks and my head throb with rage. "You haven't even seen me fight, Hiei."

"That's irrelevant. You're not a fighter, Alice."

I saw red, but before I could lunge at him, a hand went around the back of my head and I found myself looking into Kurama's forest green eyes. Somewhere in the back of my mind I noted that Hiei just called me by my name for the very first time. My mind went blank though at Kurama's expression. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was open, as if he were waiting for the right words to come out. "It's not that you're weak - it's just not your nature. You aren't one to harm another being."

I scoffed at him, tearing out of his grasp. He didn't know me at all, did he? I turned to Kuwabara who immediately looked wary. "I'm fighting this next guy with you. Don't argue."

I'm not sure exactly what was in my expression that made him shut his mouth and nod, but it worked in my favor. He hitched on a half-smile and showed me his hands. "Look what I can do." His hands came together like he was holding something, and a bright sunshine energy surrounded his hands. Suddenly, it shot up and became a yellow, crackling sword. Kuwabara grinned and looked at Yusuke who seemed surprised. "What d'you think I was doing for the last six months while you were training with Genkai? Letting you get better than me? Not a chance." He laughed, smug. "It's just my pure energy, and I bet my spirit sword can kick the crap out of your spirit gun."

Yusuke looked annoyed and flipped him off. "That depends on what finger I'm using."

"Well, as it turns out, he's only partially worthless," Hiei said dryly.

Kuwabara pointed his sword at Hiei. "Wanna die?"

Hiei smirked. "I dare you."

As Kuwabara made a move toward him, Yusuke intercepted. "Hey!"

Kuwabara stepped back, annoyed that his fight with Hiei was ruined. "Yeah, yeah, let him live," he mumbled. "I'm pretty sure he'll be saying sorry after he sees what else I can do." With that, the sunshine sword in Kuwabara's hand grew so tall it punctured the ceiling. I had to step out of the way so that I wouldn't get hit with the crumbling stone.

"Wow," Yusuke said dryly. "It even comes with a spear attachment."

Kuwabara laughed. "I can make it any size I want it to be!"

My eyes met Yusuke's, and I could see that, like me, he was just barely restraining himself from making a sexual remark. We grinned at each other.

As Kuwabara powered the sword down and retracted his energy back within himself, he started explaining how he wasn't going to freak out anymore, and then his eyes sort of rolled back into his head and he hit the floor with a thunk.

"Ah! Kuwabara!" I crouched beside him as Yusuke leaned over me.

Kuwabara was still conscious, but a little pale. "Uh, sorry guys. The sword makes me a little dizzy sometimes," he mumbled.

"You're  _not_  making us look good," Yusuke growled. As he straightened up, his communicator went off and he took it out and flipped it open.

I heard Botan's voice again. _"Yusuke, you've got to hurry! Ah!"_

"What's the matter, Botan?" Yusuke asked, worried.

_"Listen, Yusuke, I think the Saint Beasts have launched another wave of insects. I found a whole batch by an elementary school."_

"They're taking over kids now?"

_"That's right."_

"I thought you said these insects only like to take over the minds of depressed people."

 _"Well that's because depressed people are more easily influenced. And it's the same with children, but if the bugs get into them I'm afraid - uh -"_  Botan suddenly gave a shout of alarm.

Yusuke frowned. "Okay, you're afraid, I get it - now finish your sentence."

_"Sorry, Yusuke, but I'm being chased now!"_

"You're being chased? By who?" he demanded.

_"By another guy possessed by the Makai insects, and this one looks especially unfriendly!"_

Yusuke looked worried. "Just keep running!"

 _"I've knocked out all the other victims by sneaking up on them -"_  I heard her shriek as the sound of broken wood came from the communicator's tiny speakers.

"Well, can't you call for help or something?" Yusuke snapped, angry because he couldn't do anything to help her.

"Or run away?" Kuwabara offered, worried. He was standing up now, watching Botan on the tiny screen behind Yusuke.

Kurama frowned at the communicator over Yusuke's shoulder, and glanced up at me. His forest green eyes carried a shadow of worry - like he was just picturing what could happen to me if I fought a Beast.

There was a loud 'thwack' as Botan's metal bat made contact with someone's skull - and then there was silence.

"Botan! Botan!" Yusuke yelled. He blinked at the screen and his worried expression softened. "Oh, wow. You got him."

Her voice was flustered.  _"Well I'm not making a career out of this! You go and destroy that whistle before I have to fight the entire city!"_

"Right," Yusuke said.

Suddenly there was a loud, bone-chilling growl that echoed throughout the corridor. The walls shook with the force of it, and bits and pieces of the ceiling fell. I felt the blood drain from my face. In all of my past experience with possession, whenever you hear a growling and there's a demon involved, you're in some serious shit. My heart skipped a beat out of fear, but I shook myself out of it. I couldn't let myself be afraid. Anyway, this world was different from mine. The rules of demons were different here, and I had to remember that.

Kuwabara looked determined. "I don't know what kind of monster that is, but I gotta hunch it's our next enemy."

_"Yusuke!"_

"Sorry, I'll have to call you later," he said, hanging up on Botan.

There was another roar, more sinister than the last. This roar carried demonic energy with it, and Kurama must have recognized the signature because his eyes went wide with surprise and unease. "That," he said, "is Byakko. And he doesn't sound very pleased."

Yusuke's jaw clenched. "Let's go!"

We took off, and as we did the ceiling crumbled behind us, as the growling continued. I shrieked in surprise the same time Kuwabara shouted, "This is dangerous!" But we made it to the end of the corridor in one piece, and I tried not to have a heart attack. We flew up the spiral staircase, but in single file, because it was so narrow. Then a white bright light suddenly assaulted my vision and we found ourselves standing on a platform across from Byakko. I blinked until my vision adjusted.

Byakko was tall, for starters. He was definitely the size of a house, and underneath the grey and blue tiger skin were rippling bulky muscles. His eyes were yellow lanterns, cat-like, and fierce. A low growl emitted from his saber-toothed mouth, and his hands, with claws as long as my arm, curled into fists.

"Tiger," Hiei said lowly, a look of challenge on his face.

"Intruders will pay for coming this far into my territory," Byakko said in a snarly voice. Then he flung his arms apart and growled, reminding me of King Kong for a second.

"He's huge!" Kuwabara said, eyes wide.

I glanced at Kurama while Yusuke made some smartass remark. His expression was calculating, and he glanced at me, worried. "Alice, I don't think this is one of your best ideas."

I scowled at him.

"I'll go," Hiei said, red eyes glittering with anticipation.

"Back off!" Kuwabara shouted.

"No," I snapped at Hiei, sharing a defiant look with Kuwabara, before turning it back on the fire demon. " _We're_  next."

With that, Kuwabara and I turned to face Byakko, making our way toward him. I glanced at Kuwabara, who seemed a little fearful, so I gave him a light punch in the arm. "Don't worry," I said when he looked down at me. "We can beat him."

Byakko growled. "Don't think you're dominate because you tore apart Genbu. He was  _weak_. He only talked to the demons in the city through the castle wall. That is why we didn't kill him ourselves." His eyes got angrier. "But I am a real beast. I have been caged in this place for too long. Without prey, without bones, without  _blood!_  Until now… Humans! I will rip you apart and eat you myself!"

"Gee, how nice," Yusuke said.

I cocked my head to the side. "No one's ever threatened to eat me before."

"It won't be the last time," I heard Kurama mutter.

Byakko suddenly gave a mighty roar that made the platform tremble under the vibrations. It became stronger, like an earthquake, and I found myself losing my footing as the bricks underneath me crumbled. Kuwabara caught my wrist and yanked me to a safer spot. Soon there was nothing but a narrow bridge of awkward crumbling stones to lead us to Byakko. I grimaced, looking down and seeing nothing but cloudy blue air.

"Apparently this guy likes breaking things with the sound of his own voice," Yusuke said, looking annoyed.

"It's a long trip to the ground. I send you all over with my roar if you don't come and fight me, of course your weak bodies will be broken anyway," Byakko snarled.

That angered Kuwabara. "Monster! He thinks he's so tough!"

Yusuke grabbed his shoulder as Kuwabara made to go ahead. "Kuwabara -"

"Step.  _Off_ ," Kuwabara snapped, pushing Yusuke to the side.

"Damn it," Yusuke muttered. He frowned at me.

"You two really think you can beat him?" Hiei asked doubtfully.

"Of course!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "In fact, I'm not scared at all! Are you scared, Alice?"

I glanced at his trembling knees. "Not really." I glanced back at the tiger demon, eyeing his hands. "His energy isn't that much stronger than Genbu's. There's only one powerhouse in this whole castle, and that's probably the boss's."

They all looked at me.

"You can sense him?" Kurama asked, surprised. "Even with all of the demonic energy in the air?"

I frowned. "I don't see how you  _can't_  sense him. His energy is like a Broadway stage light." I pointed to the hat on the Tin Man - the turret on the very top of the castle - above and beyond Byakko's level. "He's up there - waiting for us." I glanced at Hiei as Yusuke frowned at the turret. "What about you?"

Hiei's expression was unreadable. "I can see him with the Jagan, of course."

I was guessing that without it, he wouldn't be able to sense him at all. I allowed myself to feel a little smug before I turned back to Byakko with Kuwabara. We started across with a growled protest from Yusuke, and I tossed a silent glare back at him. Yusuke scowled back at me, but I knew he was just worried. I glanced at Kurama, and found him frowning as well. I gave him a reassuring smile and turned back to Byakko as we crossed the bridge.

Byakko's expression was surprised and insulted when he saw us coming. "You don't believe that you can beat me with just one human do you? …and this pipsqueak of a girl?" He blinked.

Kuwabara scowled at him, and then glanced at me. He turned back to the demon. "Alice is a helluva lot stronger than she looks, you jerk. And I'm not too terrible myself!" We got to Byakko's side of the bridge and stared up at him. "Let's fight, Byakko-monster!" Kuwabara yelled.

Byakko looked angry. And then he suddenly burst into roaring laughter. "Oh, please! I can't stay angry if you make me laugh!"

"I'm serious!" Kuwabara yelled angrily. "Come down here so I can punch your lights out!"

Byakko continued laughing. "Stop it, I can tear you into little pieces with nothing but the hair on my mane."

"Oh, really?" he demanded.

Byakko reached up and tugged four green hairs from his head before roaring and blowing on them. The hairs fluttered down, growing and twisting and suddenly four huge green monsters dropped down around Kuwabara. They were the size of rhinos, with green scaly skin and eyes and very sharp teeth. My heart pitterpattered in my chest as I looked at Kuwabara surrounded by them. He met my eyes and grimaced, sunshine sword lighting up in his hands.

The hair-monsters leapt at Kuwabara, while I stayed to the side - out of the way - immediately feeling the familiar protective anger that fueled my powers. Tentacles of viridian tightened around the two closest to me, squeezing them into submission, and with another wave of anger - nonexistence. I heard Kuwabara give a battle cry and looked up, seeing him swing his sword around madly. The hair-monsters may have been big, but they were quick on their feet.

I heard Hiei's voice and looked up to see him watching Kuwabara with disdain. "That idiot has no strategy. He's just swinging his sword with the grace of a flyswatter - that's no way to survive."

I had a sudden flash of memory. "Kuwabara!"

"What?" he yelled, taking a swing at a hair-monster's head. He missed.

"Lead those two across the bridge and make them a shish kabob with your sword!" I shouted.

Kuwabara's face brightened up. "Great idea! Wish I'd thought of that myself!"

I snickered at the irony and watched him lead the monsters toward Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama. Kuwabara stopped at the very end of the bridge and twisted around, plunging his sword through the first hair-monster and growing it through the next one. He laughed triumphantly.

Byakko looked down at me with angry yellow eyes and bared his teeth at me. I looked back at him, unaffected.

"What do they call you pipsqueak?"

I replied to him in some Latin I learned from a horror movie. Just for kicks. "Sum exorcistam. Non me terreat."  _I am an exorcist. You do not frighten me._

He raised a green eyebrow, taken aback. I knew he understood me though. Demons have always understood a human language - no matter what it was. I'm not really sure why. "You're just a little girl," he said, laughing. "You're no priest!"

I shot my viridian coils at him and squeezed him tightly. His eyes went wide as he grunted in pain. He could feel me purifying his energy and sucking it away, and I could feel him weakening.

I smiled. "Whoever said I was a priest?"

He gurgled and writhed. Eventually, he fell from his tall perch and to the stone platform with a thunderous sound and he roared in agony. I didn't  _enjoy_  his pain, but I certainly didn't hate it. Kuwabara was suddenly next to me again and I felt my concentration on Byakko waver.

That lapse was all he needed to get me back.

I don't know if you've even been knocked unconscious before, but it's very disorienting. Usually, you don't even remember what happened to you. When I was in fourth grade, I was swinging on a swing at recess, and the next thing I remember is being flat on my back and looking up and seeing girls from my class surrounding me. They were calling my name and prodding me, looking very worried. For years I've tried to remember the actual falling-off-the-swing part, but I've never been able to.

When I came to, I was hot. I felt like I was in a sauna. There was a strong smell of sulfur and a more muted smell of cigarettes in the air. I could feel my chin propped up on someone's shoulder, and my cheek was pressed against their sweaty neck. My eyes flew open and I found myself on Yusuke's back, but he wasn't paying attention to me. He was looking out at Kuwabara and Byakko, who were standing on separate platforms above a lake of boiling lava.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to digest the fact that  _yes_  that was lava.

Kurama was beside me in a second, green eyes searching mine. "How do you feel?" he asked.

I blinked at him. "Fine?"

He read my confused expression. "You were doing well with Byakko, but he managed to get his arm free and hurt you. He knocked you out."

"He tossed you into the wall behind him like a Frisbee," Yusuke said sardonically. "Kuwabara's even more pissed off now."

I looked at Kurama, feeling around my head. "Am I bleeding?" I winced when I felt a bump, but luckily my fingers came away dry.

"You've got a cut above your eyebrow, but otherwise you seem miraculously unharmed," he said, pressing his lips together. "I think you can set her down now, Yusuke. I want to see if she can stand."

Yusuke crouched down and let me slide out of his hold. Kurama steadied me by my shoulder, his deep forest green eyes assessing my every miniscule movement. He smiled when I didn't fall on my face. "You seem fine. I just hope you don't have a concussion. Do you feel tired at all?"

I shook my head, giving him a disappointed smile. I had really hoped to kick Byakko's ass and show them I  _could_  fight. "How do you feel?" I asked him, eyeing the slash in his jacket. "Do you have super-healing powers too?" I asked dryly.

"Actually, yes," he said, giving me an amused smile. "It's already started healing up, but it won't be fully healed for a few days."

"Ah, that's good," I said, looking down at my shoes, wishing I had super-awesome-healing powers.

His fingertips traced the cut above my eyebrow, and I winced. "This looks like a clean cut," he said lightly. "I doubt there will be any scarring - especially with my healing salve. Are you all right?"

I forced the moody expression off my face and smiled. "I'm fine." I pulled away from him.

Kurama's attention was stolen from me by Kuwabara, who was making an attempt to swing his sword at a ball of crackling energy. Kurama's eyes went wide. " _No!_ " he shouted at Kuwabara. "You musn't touch it!  _Get away!_ "

Kuwabara took his advice and leapt to another platform just in time. The ball of energy hit the platform he had been standing on, which immediately sizzled black and crumbled into the lava.

Hiei looked at Byakko very seriously. "For years I have heard of a fighter who could destroy molecular bonds with the sound of his voice. I never thought I'd meet him."

"So he can't use his spirit sword on it?" Yusuke asked.

"No. The sword would cause a chain reaction and that would destroy his entire spirit," he replied, looking back at Yusuke. His red eyes slid over to me, but I couldn't read his expression. I walked over to him and stood beside him.

"Hey, Hiei."

"Hn." His eyes slid over to me again and he seemed to be looking me over, appraising my condition. "You're lucky you managed to weaken him when you had the chance. If you had experienced the full brunt of his strength, your weak human bones would have shattered and you would have died. As it stands now, you're lucky to even have a concussion."

I rubbed my cheek, assessing my head. "I don't think I do. I don't feel tired, I don't have a headache, I'm not dizzy, my thoughts are clear, and I don't feel like throwing up."

"Congratulations," Hiei said dryly.

Byakko started shooting more glowing hairballs at Kuwabara, who skittered across the surrounded platforms, jumping to the next one as fast as he could. I could tell Byakko was just toying with him though. He was tweaking the trajectory of his hairballs to hit just as Kuwabara leapt to the next platform. Kuwabara slowed on one platform, and Byakko tossed what looked like white glowing senbon through him, yelling, "Tiger claw!"

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled, a note of desperation in his voice.  _"Would you switch with me already?"_

I noticed that Kuwabara had no where else to jump, and that Byakko had destroyed all of the surrounding platforms. The tiger demon was talking to Kuwabara in his low growling voice, but I couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Kuwabara," Yusuke mumbled eyes huge.

"Can you reach him, Hiei?" Kurama asked, stepping behind me.

"If need be," Hiei replied.

Kuwabara obviously heard them talking. "You all had better stay put! You're all whispering over there about how you're gonna rescue me, aren't you? How many times do I have to tell you - I don't want your help!"

"I don't understand that guy. Doesn't he know that he's about to die?" Yusuke asked.

"Perhaps he's still devising an attack," Kurama suggested.

"Hn. Perhaps he's a fool."

Byakko laughed and shot another glowing hairball at Kuwabara, who had absolutely nowhere to go.

"He's jumping!" Kurama exclaimed.

Kuwabara did jump. He leapt off the platform with all the leg power he could muster, with a determined look on his face. It wasn't enough to reach Byakko's taller platform though. He started to fall toward the lake of lava.

" _Kuwabara!"_ Yusuke and I shouted together.

"He didn't make it…" Kurama breathed, horrified.

Kuwabara roared, and then his hand glowed with his crackling sunshine energy, shooting out into a huge yellow pole, sticking into one of the leftover pillars of a destroyed platform. He pole-vaulted himself toward Byakko like an Olympic champion, and punched the tiger demon in the face.

"I told you I'd punch your lights out! Now let's go to hell together!" Kuwabara shouted as he and Byakko went over the side of the platform.

Down into the lake of boiling lava.

" _No!_ " I shouted, terrified. "Kuwabara!"

" _Kuwabara!"_ Yusuke cried. His eyes were huge and horrified, and  _stunned_.

I pressed my hand hard over my mouth to make sure I wasn't dreaming. It had to be a nightmare because Kuwabara, who was all sunshine and laughter and happiness, couldn't be dead. He was just a kid, a boy-child, and a baby brother - he had no  _business_  being dead _._

I didn't realize I had sunk into a crouch and was crying into my knees, until I felt Kurama's warm hand on my head. I wouldn't have even noticed that, had he not brushed against the bump Byakko had given me.

"YOU CAN'T DIE!" Yusuke yelled, and I cried harder. "It's all so  _stupid!_  I mean, we're protecting the world, so who's protecting  _us?_ "

"Hey! Can I get some help here? Guys!" Kuwabara's voice shouted.

I froze, wiping my cheeks, and looked up. Kuwabara was hanging off the edge of Byakko's platform, eyes wild and huge, hands grasping at the bandage that had obviously caught on a jagged edge. "Hurry!"

"He's alive?" Yusuke murmured.

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling all the emotion rush out of me.

"How fortunate," Hiei said in a clipped tone. He turned to me, then yanked me up by wrist so fast I wasn't sure what happened at first. "Kurama can't carry you right now. It's me or Yusuke."

I liked Yusuke, he did already carry me a bit, but I also trusted Hiei's strength to safely bring me over a boiling pit of lava much more.

"You," I replied. Hiei nodded, and I clambered on his back. He hooked his arms under my knees and we were off to Kuwabara. A wave of heat washed over me, a combination of Hiei, embarrassment, and the lava. I really wish he didn't have to carry me. Kurama and Yusuke quickly followed us.

I slipped off of Hiei's back and dropped down on my knees to look at Kuwabara. "Are you okay?" I asked, stretching my arm down. I couldn't reach him though, and I frowned with worry. "Can you reach my hand?"

He took a swipe at my arm, but it was no good. I was afraid to lean over further without someone holding on to me, or something to anchor myself to.

Yusuke stood over me and Kurama crouched beside me, both looking amused.

"You had me scared there, Kuwabara," Yusuke said, giving a smirk. "For a second I thought you bit the dust."

Kuwabara still looked desperate. "Yeah, it's exciting, now help me up!"

"An interesting strategy. Maybe we should let you kill the other beasts this way too," Hiei said.

"Yes," Kurama agreed.

I sighed, getting annoyed.

"No way guys, I've done my share of fighting for this trip. Now will you please stop goofing around and help me up?" Kuwabara demanded.

Yusuke grinned cheekily. "We can't Kuwabara, remember? You said you'd kill us if we helped you."

"Yes, it goes against your honor code," Kurama said brightly.

"But that doesn't count! Once I beat 'em it's okay!"

"Well, we've still got two Saint Beasts we've gotta fight. Might as well get going…" Yusuke said.

Were we really doing this?  _Really?_

I snapped and whipped around at Kurama and Yusuke, eyes flashing, glowering at them with every fiber of my being. "Quite teasing him and help him up!  _Now!_ " I demanded angrily.

"Temper, temper," Yusuke jibed, putting his hands up in mock surrender. Kurama knew me enough to at least look wary, and I pointed directly down at Kuwabara.

"Get. Him. Up. Here. Now."

Kurama gave me a placating smile. "Of course, Alice. You know we were only teasing and we really wouldn't let Kuwabara fall -"

" _Now!_ " I shrieked, enraged. "I swear to God, Kurama, you are going to  _kill_  me with your passive-aggressive stalling behavior, by giving me a heart attack or a stroke and then I'll  _die_  and come back and haunt you for the rest of your life! And when I do, I will make sure you  _never get laid_  because I'll scare all your girlfriends away with my ghostly powers,  _and then you'll die sad and alone!"_

I heard laughter behind me, and I turned and saw Hiei turned away from everyone else, shoulders shaking. I blinked at him, and then turned back to Kurama and Yusuke who were staring wide-eyed at Hiei.

"Whoa! Is shorty laughing?" Kuwabara asked from his precarious position.

Kurama and Yusuke shook themselves and offered their hands to Kuwabara, pulling him up with surprising ease. He gave a relieved sigh and then smiled at me. "You're my hero, Alice!"

I lunged and smacked every single inch of him I could reach.

"Ow! Ow! What the hell?  _Why are you hitting me?_ " he shouted, trying to fend me off.

"You, asshole! I thought you were dead!" I snapped.

"I'm sorry!"

I stopped and scowled at him thoughtfully. "Fine. I'm still mad at you though. Shizuru would have killed me." I ran my hands through my hair. "Augh, that was horrible. I need a cigarette."

Kurama frowned. "You shouldn't smoke, Alice."

"You are  _not my mother_ , Kurama." I glared at him, clenching and unclenching my fists. It was just a  _need_. I  _needed_  nicotine,  _now_.

Kurama rolled his eyes.

Yusuke leaned down next to me and cupped his hands around my ear. "I'll give you a cigarette when we get off this stupid lava lake," he whispered.

I brightened up immediately. "Come on, Hiei. Let's get across this stupid lava."

"Yes, let's," he agreed in his normal dry tone. I climbed onto his back again, and he hooked his arms under my knees again, and then we were off. My stomach was quickly left behind in the dust. Carrying me seemed effortless for Hiei, and he didn't complain like Yusuke probably would. We landed on the other side of the lake and waited for the others to catch up.

"Thanks for carrying me," I said, sliding off his back and touching the cut above my eyebrow lightly. I winced.

"Hn."

Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara dropped down beside us.

"We need to hurry," said Kurama, eyeing me and Yusuke suspiciously as Yusuke dug in his pocket.

We sighed together in defeat and followed Kurama's quick pace out of Byakko's playroom, and through another corridor, and up another tight, spiral staircase. I dashed up as fast as my legs would take me because I was feeling claustrophobic, and I wanted that damn cigarette. Finally we got out of that staircase and into a room surrounded by doors.

"Augh, you're kidding me, right?" Yusuke said, dismayed.

"It appears we've found a maze in Maze Castle," Hiei commented.

There were at least fifteen different doors, all the same color, shape, and size. They curled around the chamber in a horse-shoe shape.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Yusuke said dryly.

Kurama looked at them seriously. "We must be careful. It's something of a legend. In the beginning before the barrier was erected around the city, hundreds of bounty hunters came and searched for the Beasts. None succeeded. But the Beasts never left their tower - letting whoever entered this castle forfeit their lives to this maze." He pressed his lips together. "There are fifteen doors. All but one leads to a dead end and there are no second attempts. Unavoidable traps lie in incorrect passages, so you see, a poor choice seals our fate."

Yusuke grimaced and turned to Kuwabara. "Okay, Mr. Sensitive, this one's all yours."

"No pressure," I added.

Kuwabara ignored me and examined all of the doors carefully. He frowned seriously. "The second door on the left."

"Okay, you heard the man, let's go," Yusuke said with no doubt at all, twisting toward the door.

"How do we know he's not making a mistake?" Hiei asked scornfully.

Kuwabara walked over to the door he picked out, hand in his pocket. "I'm sorry, shorty, maybe it's not your thing, but you're just gonna have to trust me on this one," Kuwabara said seriously. "I know. There's something big behind that door - something scary." He pushed the door open and yelped. "Ah! I hate mice!"

The mouse skittered from the doorway, winding around Kuwabara and ducked underneath another door, disappearing. I shuddered.

"Gee, Kuwabara, and that speech of yours was getting  _so_  dramatic!" Yusuke said brightly.

"Let's go," Kurama said, trying to hide his amusement from Kuwabara.

We made our way down the dim corridor. Yusuke nudged me and passed me a beautiful slender white cigarette, which I marveled at for a full minute before Yusuke shoved his lighter under my nose. I noticed then that while I had marveled, Yusuke had lit his cigarette, and was now attempting to light mine in the dark corridor. There was hardly enough light even with the little flame.

"Where's your mouth?" he demanded, voice slightly muffled from the cigarette in his.

I nabbed the lighter out of his hands. "I'll do it. You're going to set me on fire at this rate," I told him plainly around the filter in my mouth. He snickered as I flipped the butane lighter open, sparked the flint, and inhaled the flame on my cigarette. I snapped the lighter closed and gave it back to Yusuke. "Thanks."

"No problem," he replied.

As the nicotine within the bitter taste of tobacco hit my system, I felt a lot calmer. My nerves steadied and I gave a very relaxed sigh. "Much better. What brand is this?"

"Mild Seven," Yusuke said, exhaling. "They probably don't suit your gaijin tastes, but they're cheapish."

I debated. "Nah, I like it. It's mellow."

We finally came to the end of the corridor, and walked into an antechamber. There were a large pair of blue doors with golden borders. On either side were statues of dragons as big as Hiei. Lightning struck and cast a dark shadow over the dragon statues, highlighting their teeth and claws.

"Are we supposed to be scared?" Hiei asked, a note of incredulity to his voice.

I took the last drag off my cigarette and dropped it onto the stone floor, crushing it under my shoe. "Not unless we're in a Wes Craven horror film. And I doubt we are."

"Did you see  _Scream 4_?" Yusuke asked.

I grinned. "I did. It was awesome."

"Man, I wanted to see it, but I didn't have any extra cash that week," Yusuke said sadly.

"Get it when it comes on DVD," I said. "It's cheaper that way, anyway."

"Could you two focus?" Kuwabara asked, staring at us in disbelief. "I mean, we're standing here and about to go in to meet the third Beast, and you're just talking about horror films!"

"Yes," Kurama agreed, raising an eyebrow at us.

Yusuke and I exchanged devlish grins and shut up.

Kurama eyed the doorway. "This is the mark of the Blue Dragon. And judging from the odor, I'd say the Beast is inside."

"Yeah, and it doesn't feel very nice," Kuwabara mumbled.

There was a mechanical clanking sound from the doors, and they creaked and slowly swung open. A silver mist poured out and brought a wave of chilliness through the air. Yusuke squared his shoulders and stepped through the doors, and we quickly followed him. The doors closed behind us with a metallic clank.

It was colder in this room.

"This fog's alive," Kurama said with a calculating expression. He was right. The demon's energy was in the very mist that surrounded us.

"Must be a form of spirit energy coming from our Beast's body," Hiei observed, looking annoyed.

A low, careful voice came through the mist. "You have done very well to come this far. But I shall no longer allow you to disgrace my master."

"Where's that voice coming from?" Kuwabara asked, looking around. He glanced at me and I shrugged. His energy was too big to pinpoint an exact location.

"I don't know," Yusuke snapped. "Come out now dragon! This hide-and-seek thing's getting pretty lame!"

There was a crackle of thin lightning in the room as the fog thickened. There was a ball of light as the energy washed over us, and then the mist dissipated. Seiryu stood in the middle of the stone chamber with a very serious expression on his green-tinted face.

"As you request," he said, in his very serious voice.

"A giant!" Kuwabara exclaimed. I glanced back between the demon and Kuwabara, and indeed the demon was taller. Not quite as tall as Byakko, but still.

"You may call me Seiryu. I am here now to end your lives, intruders," said the demon, with a dark chuckle.

"Well, he's no dragon, but he is ugly," Yusuke said.

"It is not wise to say such things to your executioner." He gave a sound of annoyance. "It appears we have another guest."

I examined my internal radar, and found that Seiryu was correct. There was a weakened energy behind the doors, accompanied by the sound of shuffling.

Kuwabara looked surprised. "Uh, guys, I'm not sure how to tell you this…"

Hiei turned around. "It's coming from behind us."

The doors opened with a creak, and a very badly singed Byakko stood there, filling the doorway and holding himself up by the door panels. He looked at Seiryu. "You must help me," he said.

"You're joking," Yusuke said, wide-eyed.

Byakko lumbered into the room, and we stepped away from the door and his gigantic feet. I eyed his large hand warily and stood behind Kuwabara. "Please, Seiryu," he said, "these cowards…they tricked me in my own lair. They hid their true power from me 'til the end…you must help me recover."

Kuwabara looked horrified. "I knocked that guy into lava!"

"What does it take to kill this guy?" Yusuke asked.

Seiryu did not look happy. "Weakling. How dare you dishonor us further?"

Byakko's expression became beseeching. "Please, Seiryu!"

Seiryu straightened. "You are no longer wanted here. You are a disgrace." He settled himself into a stance and pulled his fist back, energy turning it an ice bright blue.

Byakko looked horrified. "No! Seiryu! I can help you destroy them!"

Seiryu let the energy in his fist fly, and Byakko became covered in ice, frozen solid. His mouth was open, revealing all of his pointed teeth, and his arms were up and his huge claws glinted on his hands.

"He's frozen!" Kuwabara exclaimed in shock.

"He makes a nice statue," I commented, still bitter about him knocking me out.

Seiryu suddenly leapt at Byakko and shattered the entire tiger demon with one kick. I blinked at the shattered body parts scattered all over the ground for a minute, in shock. I didn't really expect him to kill Byakko.

"Hmm, you were right about my fog of energy. By lowering it to subzero temperatures, I can wrap my enemy in ice," Seiryu said, completely unaffected.

Yusuke gave him a glare. "You heartless bastard! How could you kill off your own friend?"

"Seiryu…why -"

I looked over to see Byakko's head was talking, and I felt a wave of nausea. It gave a cough and turned over weakly. I looked away and tried to go to my happy place.

"He was a weapon, not a friend, and like a cheap sword - he rusted," Seiryu explained, gaining my attention again. He turned and spit in the direction of Byakko's head, but I pressed my lips together and looked up at the ceiling, fighting my rolling stomach.

Kurama took pity on me and gently pushed me behind him, so that I could look at his back instead. I sighed with relief and rested my forehead between his shoulder blades. I forced myself to focus on the clean smell of laundry detergent coming from his uniform, and wonder if Sitka was being good for Shiori. Then I wondered if she was safe. Botan said that things were getting pretty desperate back in the living world and that had me worried.

"Are you all right?" Kurama murmured, voice reverberating through his bones.

"I got a bit nauseous. I'm worried about Shiori-san," I mumbled into his back. His hair tickled my nose.

He didn't move, keeping his attention focused on Seiryu, but he murmured, "I'm worried too."

"This, guy's pushing me too far," Yusuke said, furious. "He's dead!"

"Save your anger," Hiei interjected. "You can take their leader. I insist this fight be mine." I picked my head up and leaned around Kurama to watch him walk toward Seiryu.

"Ah, shall you be first, Hiei?" the dragon demon asked.

Hiei pulled his cloak off and tossed it over Byakko's dead head. I went back to hiding my face in Kurama's uniform and trying not to vomit.

Seiryu chuckled. "What was that? Tell me you're not feeling sympathy for that amateur. From your actions at the Gate of Betrayal I was hoping you had more of a warrior spirit."

"He's a puzzle, isn't he?" Kurama asked. At first I thought he meant Seiryu, but then I realized that he was talking about Hiei. Unfortunately, I had to disagree with Kurama. Hiei was moody and prickly, but he was usually consistent in his actions. I could always understand them at least. "In times before," Kurama continued. "I've seen Hiei act with similar cruelty, but something about Byakko's execution has caused great anger in him. Hiei seems to live by his own code with very complex rules, but one thing's for sure, I've never seen Hiei begin a fight using such extraordinary amounts of his spirit energy."

"Hiei doesn't take betrayal well," I said into Kurama's back. "Even if he's not the one betrayed."

"Good," Yusuke said. "As long as he kicks some ass."

Seiryu's energy was strong and as smooth as top-shelf vodka. It contained a threat of ill-intent and maliciousness, and it settled on either side of us. I realized, peeking around Kurama, that Hiei was blocking his energy with his own. Hiei was shielding us. My stomach settled, so I stepped out from behind Kurama to watch the fight properly.

"I assure you, Hiei, it is not too late to join our ranks. Prostrate yourself before my master and he shall give you power and fame beyond what you have ever tasted," Seiryu said.

"Fame?" I asked, looking at Kurama, making sure I heard that right. "Did he just seriously offer Hiei fame? Are all of these Beasts fucking divas?"

Kurama hid a laugh behind a cough.

"Is that all you have to say?" Hiei asked. "They're last words, you know."

Seiryu was insulted. "Fine! So that is your choice. You shall meet your death with the other weaklings!" And then he raised his energy and shot it out toward Hiei. Hiei cut through it though, protecting himself and us. The walls around us, on either side of the double doors, got holes blown in them.

Kuwabara looked at the hole in the wall nearest to him and then turned back to Seiryu. "Hey, be careful!" he scolded.

The dragon demon powered his fist up, like on the attack with Byakko. "Try blocking this!"

"It's that freeze technique! Run!" Yusuke exclaimed.

Seiryu roared with his technique, as Hiei's form grew taut in his crouch. Hiei flew up in the air as the floor where he had been turned to ice, and landed behind Seiryu, with a face that said you're-too-slow-but-I'll-put-up-with-it-for-the-sake-of-killing-you.

Seiryu chuckled. "I'm sorry, I had forgotten of your impressive speed. Now let's try again!"

And then there was a quick and fast-paced montage of Hiei being there, there, no, there, and now he's over there, with ice appearing wherever he had been. I couldn't follow Hiei's movements at all, but I could see flashes of black and olive skin dance around Seiryu. The dragon demon became increasingly angry when he could not catch up to Hiei. I bit my lip and tried not to laugh.

As Hiei dodged and Seiryu shot his ice everywhere, the room became increasingly cold. I unwrapped my jacket from my waist and pulled it back on, burrowing into myself and pressing my side against Kurama's.

"He's gonna turn the whole room into a hockey rink," Yusuke said, annoyed as he shivered.

"Not just the room," Kuwabara said, clutching himself and shuddering. The top of his head was icy, and he wasn't wearing his jacket, or a shirt. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Man I wish I had my jacket back," he mumbled.

"Hiei," Kurama suddenly said.

We turned back to the fight and saw Hiei land one-handed and drop down into a crouch. He seemed annoyed.

"Hey, he's okay," Yusuke said lightly.

"Yeah, don't scare us like that," Kuwabara chided.

"No," Kurama said, gritting his teeth. "His leg - he won't be able to run away anymore."

I frowned, looking at Hiei carefully. His left leg was encased in ice, but he was a fire demon, wasn't he? I toyed with the idea that Hiei was playing possum, because surely a bit of ice like that wouldn't actually hurt him.

"You see?" Seiryu said. "No one ever escapes - only begs for mercy. With your leg like that, you can't hardly move. I suggest you start groveling." He fell into an attacking stance and let his energy crackle around him dangerously.

"What can he do?" Yusuke asked, horrified.

"Ice Dragon!" Seiryu shouted, throwing his ice-encased fist out at Hiei.

Hiei jammed his sword down in front of him and launched himself at Seiryu. After that, I pretty much lost sight of what was going on. There was another flash of Hiei's sword, and then Hiei landed in front of us with his arm and other leg covered in ice.

"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled.

Seiryu turned around, triumphant. "Hah, you have escaped, but you are wounded."

Hiei gave a dark chuckle, facing Seiryu.

"Why are you laughing?" the dragon demon asked.

"So what if your ice trick can kill your wounded friend? It won't kill me," Hiei said, raising his icy left arm and closing his fist. The ice faded and cracked like the sound of breaking glass. The same happened with his legs, and I assumed he was just raising his already high body temperature to accomplish this.

Seiryu seemed surprised. "That's…impossible! I shall give one final blow!" But he was unable to do so because blood trickled down his forehead.

"I don't think so," Hiei said flatly.

I could see lines of blood appearing all over his body, and he roared, covering his face as his energy surged around him. A tornado of fog wrapped his body up and disappeared with a crackle of thunder.

"He even has to die like a diva," I muttered.

"When did he attack?" Kuwabara asked, frowning.

Yusuke laughed and ran toward Hiei. I followed him, now that the room warmed up again. Kurama and Kuwabara quickly followed, cheerful.

Hiei slid his sword back into its sheath and turned around to face us.

"You made French fries out of that guy!" Yusuke said, excited, blood boiling from the fight.

"Hiei, how many times did you cut him?" Kurama asked curiously.

"Only sixteen," he replied.

"Sixteen? Damn it!" Yusuke said, disappointed. "And here I could only keep track of seven or eight."

"That's nothing meager," said Kurama. "After the first hit, I only saw flashes of light."

"I couldn't even see the flashes," Kuwabara said dejectedly.

I patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I couldn't see much either," I told him.

"Man, this isn't good. If you use those moves the next time we fight, I'm gonna be screwed!" Yusuke said nervously, laughing slightly, one hand behind his slicked-back hair.

Hiei turned away to get his cloak. "Maybe," he muttered.

Kuwabara looked after Hiei with over-exaggerated suspicion. "I thought for sure he was going to say, 'well of course, you fool'!" he mocked.

"Hiei is going through a tricky change," Kurama said lightly to Yusuke. "It appears he's beginning to like you."

Yusuke gave a slight smile that was half amused and half pleased.

"Let's go," Hiei called from across the room, turning to look back at us. We followed him out into the next corridor, eager to get on with it.

I turned to Yusuke. "You know what my  _favorite_  horror movie is?"

Kuwabara sighed with annoyance and disbelief.


	15. Since I've Been Loving You

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Fifteen: Since I've Been Loving You**

* * *

We were running up another tower of stairs when Kuwabara suddenly stopped, a pained looked on his face.

"What now?" Yusuke demanded. "Got cramps?"

Kuwabara ignored him. "My whole brain just felt like an ice cube. Something bad's happening - I think back on Earth." His face was pale, and his jaw was clenched.

Kurama and I exchanged a worried look. "No telling how long we've been here," he said. "The Beasts have most likely organized a counterassault, using the Makai."

"Only one more," Hiei said, looking up at us because he was on a lower step. "Let's not waste time."

We nodded and continued running. It was not the type of running that I was used to, since I don't normally run up stairs, so it was a little grueling, but I was still able to keep up with all of the guys. I patterned my breathing to breathe in the most efficient way possible, and then something Kurama said made me frown.

"What do you mean," I asked Kurama, "that there's no telling how long we've been here?" I pulled back my sleeve and showed him my watch. "We've been here four hours."

Kurama shook his head, pressing his lips together. "Time moves differently here, Alice. I can't really explain it all now, but I'm estimating that we've been gone from the Ningenkai for several days."

" _What?_ " I yelled.

Kurama winced. "It'll be all right."

"What are we supposed to tell Shiori-san?" I asked, trying to calm myself down.

"It wasn't my intention to tell her anything," he said, frowning with a glimmer of something behind his green eyes. "It would be best if she just forgot that we were gone."

I frowned. "What do you mean? Are you going to do what you did to Kitajima?"

He nodded. "More or less."

"What about school?"

"We went away for a couple of days to visit our ailing grandmother," Kurama said, giving me a slight smile. "I can mimic Mother's handwriting and forge her signature on a note. It's likely we'll have to do extra work because we missed class, but otherwise, I hardly doubt we'll run into trouble there."

I sighed. I should have known Kurama would have everything sorted out already - you could always trust him to have a plan. But, still, the situation sucked, and while being here was important to me, I still wanted to be home. I missed my dog. I never was able to bring him doggy-noms.

We came to the end of the stairs, and onto another platform in the air. Up ahead was the tower of the castle and we ran faster now that it was in sight. The churning red sky above us crackled with thunder, and flashed with yellow lightning. The air was filled with demonic energy, but I could still pinpoint the boss's location in the Tin Man's hat.

Yusuke's communicator rang again. He pulled it out, snapping, "What now?"

" _Small problem,"_  Botan's voice said.

"Ah!  _Keiko!_ " Yusuke yelped.

" _I had to pick her up from school, Yusuke. It seems that every infected person in the area is looking for her."_

We stopped in our tracks. "What?" Yusuke asked, shocked.

" _And I don't think they want to talk. I'm almost certain they mean to kill her!"_

"Oh, shit," I muttered.

"Did you say  _kill?_ " Yusuke demanded.

"So that's what my premonition was," Kuwabara said.

" _The Beasts must be using the Makai whistle to -"_  She was cut off.

"Botan! Are you there? Botan!"

"What happened?" I asked, peering to see the screen. It was covered in snow. The call was dropped. "Shitty reception, maybe?"

Yusuke shook his head, shutting the communicator and dropping it back in his pocket. "No, something's wrong."

"Yeah, I don't have a good feeling about this," Kuwabara said.

Yusuke was grim and fierce all at once. "We've gotta smash that whistle as fast as we can." He tensed and then took off running again, and we followed immediately. Even though I didn't personally know Keiko, and I didn't particularly care for her in the series because she was really high-strung (should I be talking though?), I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. She was a very nice girl, and she didn't deserve to be attacked.

Finally, we reached the tower and stopped, examining it. Lightning flashed behind us, making the Tin Man look evil.

"Okay guys, that is a spooky watchtower," Kuwabara commented.

"The last Beast should be on the top floor," Kurama offered.

"Then let's climb some stairs," Yusuke said roughly, taking a step. He stopped suddenly though, shoulders tense.

I saw the problem immediately. On either side of the tower, there were stone hoods that probably covered a staircase or a hole in the ground, and out from one of them came a green man. This green man was covered in green scaly skin and had a dead look on his face. He had no demonic energy, which I didn't believe at first, but then I tried wrapping my viridian coils around him, but nothing happened.

He was a human.

And he had friends. Lots of them. They came from both of the stone hoods and stood in front of the tower's doorway, moaning like zombies.

My heart picked up the pace and I quickly whipped around to Kurama, with wide eyes. "They aren't  _zombies_ , are they?"

He blinked, and then shook his head. "No, Alice. They're alive."

I put a hand over my chest to calm my racing heart. The zombie concept excited me and terrified me all at the same time. "That's good, because I didn't bring a shotgun," I joked.

Kuwabara was taken aback. "Whatever those guys are, there sure are a lot of them. It's gonna take a year to beat them all."

"Yes, considering our time restraints, this could be a real problem," Kurama said with a dark look in his green eyes.

Hiei answered the question on everyone's mind. "I've had dealings with cultivated humans before. They don't feel pain or fear."

"How twisted do you have to be to turn humans into monsters like that?" Kuwabara demanded. "I think Keiko's in some serious trouble."

Yusuke got angry. "Like hell she is! Stupid monster-humans trying to slow us down! I'm blowing them all away with my shotgun!" he yelled, muscles taut, and pulling his fist back to release his technique.

Kurama stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. "Let's use our heads."

"What? You want me to head-butt them?"

Facepalm.

"It isn't wise to use your energy. The more impatient we are, the more mistakes we'll make," Kurama said, ignoring him.

"Well, how is head-butting gonna help? My shotgun is the only way to get past them!"

"No," Hiei said, looking at the tower carefully.

"So, you got an idea?" Kuwabara asked, as we turned to face him.

Hiei nodded, with a very serious look on his face. Walking past us, he pointed to the tower. "Set your eyes on the first tower window. That is your door."

Yusuke was annoyed. "Well I'm sorry, Mr. Mysterious, but as it turns out I forgot to bring my pogo stick."

"Yeah, how do you expect him to jump that high?" Kuwabara asked.

"I'll need you to listen closely," Hiei said, turning back to us. His stoplight red eyes were serious as he sized us up. "We're going to make a ladder for Yusuke to climb."

"Uhh, I don't see any wood around here, shorty," Kuwabara said, raising an eyebrow.

"We'll be using ourselves as the ladder, you fool," Hiei snapped, an annoyed expression on his face. "Your job will be to blast past these cultivated humans and ground yourself five meters away from the tower wall. Kurama will be next, then me, and then Alice. Yusuke will be taking a running jump at us and will use our backs to step off of. He should reach the window without a problem."

"Um, I'm at the top?" I asked, biting my lip. "About sixteen or seventeen feet in the air, with no way to catch myself if I fall? And how I'm I supposed to get up there anyway?"

Hiei looked at me, red eyes unreadable. "You'll be sitting on my shoulders. And I won't let you fall, you stupid girl." He turned to Kuwabara. "You'll be carrying about 360 pounds for about four seconds. Can you handle that, human?"

Kuwabara's mouth worked open and closed for a moment, as his brows furrowed, insulted. "Of course I can, you shrimp! I just gotta use my legs and not my back!"

Hiei's eyes turned to Kurama in a silent question, and Kurama nodded. "I'll be fine, Hiei. My wound will not hinder us."

I still really didn't want to be up that high, but I knew that I also wasn't strong enough to support even Hiei's weight - which after dissecting his math - I figured to be about 130 pounds. Why was my life so stupid?

Hiei crouched in front of me and I sighed, swinging one leg over his shoulder and then the other. I was glad that I was wearing jeans as I tucked my feet under his arms and pressed the top of my shoes to his shoulder blades. He got to his feet and I felt myself sway immediately, which I countered by curling over his head.

He looked up at me, scowling. "You need to keep your back straight."

"Then you need to give me your hands so that I can steady myself," I retorted. He caught my hands and pushed up, forcing me to straighten my back and become taller than Kuwabara, who I grinned down at. "Hey, kid."

"Alice, you're only a year older than I am. I don't think you can call me 'kid'."

I laughed at him. "You're up."

"You'd better not blow this, Kuwabara," Yusuke said, frowning.

Kuwabara walked ahead crouched down. "Don't worry, I'm like an ox!" With that, he took off and charged at the humanoids. Kurama followed him, and then Hiei shifted under me, and off we went as Yusuke took a deep breath, and he followed a few seconds after.

"Just do me one favor, guys! Try not to dig in with your shoes, okay?" Kuwabara requested as we ran after him.

"Hey, shut up and keep running!" Yusuke yelled at him.

Kuwabara bowled into the humanoids, knocking over about twenty of them, and planted his feet firmly on the ground, preparing to take our weight. "All right!" he shouted.

Kurama leapt onto Kuwabara's back, standing carefully on his shoulders. Kuwabara buckled for a second, but then straightened, slightly. Kurama stayed as balanced as a cat.

Hiei and I were next, and I tightened my grip around his hands as he leapt off of Kuwabara's spine and landed nimbly on Kurama's shoulders. I was now really, really uncomfortably high in the air. I tightened my knees around Hiei's shoulders and tried very hard not to think.

I heard Yusuke yell, and then the us-ladder swayed dangerously, then I heard Kurama grunt, and then we all stabilized for a millisecond. Hiei suddenly pulled my hands down, yanking me over his head, and I felt Yusuke's foot contact Hiei's back.

And then his shoe dug into my thoracic vertebrae, and for one short second, I felt all of his weight and realized that Hiei had pulled me over him so that his head could take some of the impact from Yusuke's weight. I thought about the long-term neck problems he could have for that - but better him than me - especially because he was a demon. Anyway, Yusuke shot off my back and leapt toward the window.

As soon as he left the us-ladder, Hiei pulled me completely over his head, detaching my feet from his shoulders with insulting ease, and jumped off Kurama's back at the same time. He caught me around my middle and landed smoothly, while I suffered from a massive cardio infarction.

Kurama landed beside us, and looked up at Yusuke soaring toward the window. "It'll be close."

Yusuke made it however, meeting the window with his hands and pulling himself up into it with ease.

"We did it!" Kuwabara shouted happily from the ground. I realize he must have fallen on his face when we all jumped off of him. He got to his feet smoothly enough though, so he couldn't have been too hurt. I bet his back was going to be killing him tomorrow though. Matter of fact, my probably wouldn't feel so great either.

Yusuke laughed and looked down at us. "Remind me to join the cheerleading squad! You guys have fun with the veggie-heads!"

Kuwabara shook his fist at him. "Don't die on me! Okay?"

Yusuke gave him a thumbs up and disappeared from the window.

I looked around, grimacing when I saw we were surrounded by green men. I didn't even have like a  _crowbar_  or anything.

Kuwabara scoffed. "Poor guys. I'm gonna feel bad kicking your asses!" With that, he punched the nearest guy in the face and then moved onto the next one.

Kurama grabbed my wrist and tugged me out of a crack between the green men. They didn't really pick up on it very quickly, so their hands only wisped behind my hair, attempting too late to catch me. My heart fluttered when Kurama looked back at me to make sure I was all right, and I gave him a smile. He had pulled me to one of the stone hoods where the green men came out of.

"I want to put you on top of this. They shouldn't be able to reach you unless they learn from us and climb on top of each other," he said, with a light tone and a serious expression. "I'll help you up."

"Are you sure?" I asked him, eyeing the slash in his uniform. I still had no idea how bad his wound was.

His face was suddenly very close to mine, and he gave me a slight smile. "I'm positive. Don't worry about me." I felt his hands slip underneath my thighs and suddenly I was on top of the stone hood. I let out a surprised shriek and he laughed at me.

"Warn me next time, you jerk!" I scolded, leaning over to look down at him. I was well above his head now.

He looked amused. "I need to get back to Kuwabara and Hiei. I won't be far, so if you need me I'll be here right away."

"Kurama," I said slowly, glancing at the surrounding green men. I glanced back at him to see a look in his eyes, like the look of a deer caught in headlights. I wondered at that expression, but it was fleeting, and gone as soon as I saw it. He smiled politely and I continued. "I know these…things…aren't really any trouble for you, but don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

He looked aside, green eyes calculating the crowd. "You have nothing to be concerned about, Alice." His eyes found Hiei, who was slashing through the humanoids like a hurricane of flashing metal, red eyes, and black cloak. "I need to go. I can't allow Hiei and Kuwabara have all the fun, now can I?"

"No, I guess not," I answered.

He gave me a reassuring smile and dove into the fray immediately, taking out several surrounding humanoids with one swing of his whip. Their heads splattered on contact with the spiked weapon, and I grimaced again as my stomach rolled. I pressed my lips together firmly, and focused harder on the subtle movements of his back and wrist. I tried to watch him kill clinically, as if I were a doctor considering a cause of death, or if I were just watching a violent zombie movie.

A shot of blue light burst from the top of the Tin Man's hat, like a bullet shooting through a skull, chunks of concrete crumbling like brain matter. Cringing, I turned back to Kurama to see his whip send a green man soaring, like he barely noticed Yusuke's spirit gun. I'm certain he did though. Kurama was nothing if observant.

After awhile, Kuwabara must have gotten antsy, because he suddenly ran past my field of vision with his sword growing into a long pole. He then jammed one end into the ground and vaulted himself at the same window Yusuke went through. Unfortunately, he didn't even make it to the ledge, and crash-landed face first into the stone wall. I winced and watched as he scrabbled to hang on between the stone bricks.

"Kuwabara! What are you doing?" Kurama called up at him, standing below him.

"We've cleared a path to the entrance - quit fooling around!" Hiei snapped.

I looked around and realized that while I had been watching Kuwabara (who was now carefully edging himself down), Kurama and Hiei had taken care of the rest of the green men, and now they were all either dead or unconscious. I grimaced at the bodies and found Kurama watching me again. His look was calculating, but not necessarily cold, and he glanced back up at the tower and then back to me. Kuwabara jumped down finally, landing on his feet and looked at Kurama expectantly.

"Alice," Kurama said firmly, "you stay there where it's safe. There could be more of them in there. We won't be too long." He gave me a  _don't-argue_  look and dashed inside with Hiei. Kuwabara tossed me an apologetic glance and quickly followed after them.

I stared after them, slack-jawed and angry. I took a deep breath and calmed down though, pulling my knees to my chin and looking at my shoes. Obviously Kurama had his reasons ( _good ones,_  I thought grudgingly), but that didn't mean that I had to be happy with them. I huffed and looked up, watching the churning red and black sky, letting my thoughts wander. I wondered if Yusuke and Botan were all right.

I'm not sure how long I sat there before a brilliant blue light lit up the Tin Man's hat, blinding me so much that I had to close my eyes against it. It went away after a few beats of my heart and I opened my eyes again, wondering what caused it. I watched the tower curiously for a few more moments and waited.

The light shone again, brighter than before, and this time the tower shook with it. By the time I was able to look up properly, the top of the tower had crumbled in and pieces of concrete and rubble fell to the ground around me. Fires sprouted out, flashing a dangerous orange against a red sky. I bit my lip with worry, wondering how on earth they would get back down.

I waited for an hour. I know because I checked my watch, daydreamed about the horrible things that were probably happening to them, and then checked my watch again, and continued freaking out. Eventually, I dropped my head in my knees and fell into a half-sleep. I stayed like that for awhile.

"Alice?"

Kurama's voice sunk into my brain slowly, and I picked my head up, blinking drowsily down at him. My head felt fuzzy. Maybe I had been sleepier than I thought - or my brain was shutting down from the stress. Probably shutting down.

Kurama's eyes searched mine, sweeping over my face and body, examining me. His expression turned amused. "Shall I let you sleep a bit longer then?"

Hiei scoffed beside him, and I noticed that he was carrying an unconscious Yusuke in a fireman's lift. Kuwabara was also unconscious, but he was on the ground, propped against the stone hood I was sitting on top of.

I turned to Kurama, scooting over to the edge, still feeling thick-headed. "Don't make fun of me," I mumbled, holding my arms out to him and wiggling my fingers. "Help me down."

He made an amused sound as his hands went around my ankles and tugged. I immediately lost my precarious balance and fell forward, my mental fog clearing up in a split second, and he caught me around my waist. His arms dug uncomfortably underneath my ribcage, but I noticed how tightly he was holding me. Maybe he had been more concerned about everything than he let on.

Kurama's lips quirked into a smile and he set me down, but before I could think of anything else, a sound of a sharp wind cut through the air. It was accompanied by a static crackling and I turned and saw a green circle of light hovering about an inch off the ground. It was a pastel green and it was taller than Kuwabara. I stared at it for a minute and then turned back to Kurama curiously.

"Um?"

He smiled at me. "Koenma sent us a portal, Alice. We can get home much quicker this way."

"Oh." I stepped away from him and watched Hiei go into the portal. It slipped around him and Yusuke, and Kurama bent over and picked Kuwabara up with surprising ease for an injured person.

"Shall we go?" he asked expectantly, looking amused again.

"Just walk through it then?"

"That's the basic idea, yes."

I didn't appreciate the snarkiness, and that's probably why he said that - to get a reaction out of me. I ignored him though and clenched my jaw, stepping through the portal.

It felt exactly like walking into a breeze. It was cool and refreshing. I couldn't see much, the split second I was there, but everything had a green and swirly tint to it. My cells vibrated with the singing energy.

I took another step and found myself in a tall baby blue room, unfamiliar, yet familiar. Looking around, I saw there were obnoxious pink pillars and fake house plants in the corners. The décor was very _Fresh Prince of Bel Air_. Hiei nor Yusuke were there, but baby Koenma sat behind a wooden desk, watching me with his hands folded. I took him in - his big brown eyes, his chubby cheeks, and the tall, silly hat. I felt an urge to pinch his cheeks or something, but I restrained myself.

"Uh, hi," I said, guessing that Botan had told him about me.

He looked grim. "I imagine you're wondering why you're here, but let's wait for Kurama, hm?" He indicated to a plain wooden chair in front of his desk. "Take a seat. Tea?"

I pulled the chair back and sat down. "Sure. What's Kurama got to do with this?" I asked as he pushed a buzzer on his desk. George stuck his head in expectantly, and ducked out again when Koenma asked for tea.

Koenma turned back to me, frowning slightly. "It's not that he has anything to do with this per se, but he may have additional information, as he has slipped between worlds himself. Your situation and his are very similar."

"In some context, yes, but there are also major differences between us -"

Koenma was shaking his head. "I understand where you're coming from, but you two do have a lot in common. You both died, and you both traveled to another realm."

"But, Kurama's a demon, I'm a human. Also, this isn't a new body - it's just a younger version of the original one. I wasn't reborn like he was," I added.

He held up his hand as George came back with a rolling cart of tea. He set three places, one for Koenma, one for me, and one for the chair beside me. Koenma must have expected Kurama quickly, I assumed as George poured his tea. It would be cold if he didn't hurry. George left and Koenma turned back to me, serious.

"I would prefer to wait a bit longer, if you please," he said, dropping sugar into his tea. He pushed the milk toward me, but I shook my head. "It's soy," he said, giving me a knowing grin. "I've been keeping tabs on you for awhile, actually. I know quite a bit about your daily life thanks to the dog."

I blinked. "You mean Sitka?"

He nodded with exaggerated slowness, clearly proud of himself. "Kurama told you he was a messenger of the Reikai, didn't he? I gave him to Hiei to give you to. I find that Hiei is actually the only person you really trust, so I knew you would take the dog from him, no matter what Kurama told you. He wasn't happy about the dog at all." Koenma grinned through the mafuken.

I blinked at him again. "Hiei's the only person I trust?" I furrowed my brow. That wasn't true, was it?

Koenma shrugged. "I know what I see. Kurama doesn't seem all too happy about that either. Anyway, we aren't here to talk about your trust issues - Kurama's coming now."

The door swung open behind me and I turned and saw Kurama cross the threshold. His green eyes fell on me, and I noticed that he hadn't changed out of his tattered uniform yet. He had bandaged his middle though, I noticed through the hole that Genbu made. He smiled at Koenma and slipped into the chair beside me, picking up his teacup.

"Looks like I made it just in time," he observed. "The tea is still hot." He lifted his gaze to Koenma as he sipped, waiting.

Koenma's light mood disappeared immediately. The serious look didn't suit his baby face, I thought, as he turned to me. He cleared his throat. "This is a very rare situation. In actuality, we have only had two people before you cross over into this dimension - from the same dimension you appear to be from. At least, that's the number we have. It's possible there have been more, but we've only found them when they were involved with our people, like our spirit detectives, our reapers, or even our criminals," he said pointedly at Kurama, making light of our situation. Kurama smiled slightly, but his eyes were wary.

Koenma continued. "The previous cases have been more or less exactly like yours. They die, their souls search for the other side, and suddenly they're children again on this plane of existence." Here he became grim again. "The problem is, they were in their original bodies."

My hands curled into fists. "I'm afraid I don't understand," I said calmly, but I felt an incomprehensible feeling of dread.

He looked away. "We didn't even know it was a problem at first, until the first human that crossed over got very, very ill. We think it has something to do with the vibrations of your bodies. Your cellular structure wasn't designed for this world, you know. You're too dense, somehow. Eventually the life-force of the first human drained away, and he died at twenty-three years of age," Koenma said gently.

I felt Kurama tense beside me, but I just dropped my gaze into my lap. My clenched fists were trembling. "And the second human?" I asked.

Koenma's fingernails tapped against his desk, making a sharp tapping sound. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "by then we figured out we would need to alter her cellular structure in order to keep her alive. We developed a way to do that, but she wasn't interested in going through with the procedure. She had been elderly in her previous life, and I believe she was simply ready to move on. She passed on the same way the first human did, at twelve years of age."

Kurama set his teacup down. "What does the procedure entail, Koenma?" He gave the demigod a firm look.

His eyes met Kurama's in some solemn affirmation. "You know."

Kurama's mouth went hard. "Is that all you've been able to come up with? Surely there are other, more  _suitable_  options."

He shook his baby head sadly. "I'm afraid not. Not yet anyway." His eyes fell on me. "There's no telling when she'll get sick, so I suggest you two get your affairs in order."

I didn't understand what they were talking about. "So, am I dying or not?" I asked, frowning, trying to swallow down my dread.

Kurama sighed as he looked at me. "Koenma is saying that the only way to prevent your death is to change your cellular structure. The only way that we can possibly do that is by turning you into a demon."

I stared at them both. "That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard."

Koenma looked insulted while Kurama hid a laugh behind a cough. Koenma's baby cheeks turned a bright red and his round eyes glared at me. "Look here missy, I'm doing what I can with what I have! If you don't want my help, then don't take it!"

"Well, what, do you expect me to be among humans with cat ears and a tail? Will I have purple bangs and green hair and chase laser beams? I mean,  _come on!_  That's just…so…so  _stupid_." I pressed my fists into my lap firmly, scowling.

Koenma blinked at me and sputtered laughter. " _What?_ Where on earth did you get that idea?" He doubled over as he giggled. "Really! Cat ears! Your appearance won't change at all, you know!"

I sat back. "Oh. Well then."

"How exactly does the procedure work, Koenma?" Kurama asked.

Koenma scratched his cheek as he looked up thoughtfully. "Well, it's a very long procedure, and it'll probably take about a week to complete. We'll have to keep her constantly wrapped up in a pool of demonic energy, but we have to be very delicate and slow about it. It's a very serious surgery."

"I see," Kurama murmured. He looked at me expectantly.

I turned my gaze back to my fists in my lap. "I don't want to be a demon," I said flatly.

Koenma frowned. "You don't have to make the decision right away. I understand you'll need time to get used to the idea. Keep in mind that  _when_  you fall ill though, you'll have about a month to live. So, just sleep on it, all right?"

I nodded, rubbing my temple and letting my hand drop back into my lap. I tried not to show any sort of emotion on my face and picked up my cool tea. I didn't want to think about turning into a demon right now, even though changing was probably inevitable. I glanced at Kurama, but his face was unreadable. His hand slid over my fist though, and I relaxed my hand, letting him intertwine our fingers. He was warm and comforting.

Koenma turned to Kurama. "By the way, one of the reasons I wanted you here was so that you could tell me more about crossing the barrier. Maybe there would be some correlation between your experiences, and we can figure out where to put up a kekkai or some sort of guard to prevent any more humans from Alice's universe crossing over."

Kurama frowned. "Koenma, I highly doubt our experiences are anything alike. For one, I didn't leave this dimension, I simply found a hole in the kekkai barrier between the Makai and Nigenkai. Alice's situation is completely different from mine."

"See?" I said, raising an eyebrow at Koenma.

Koenma frowned and opened his desk, taking out a note pad and a pen. He looked back up at me as he clicked the pen. "Then I'll need to hear everything about from the time you died to the time you appeared into this world. What was the situation around your death?" he asked, scribbling the question on his note pad.

Kurama turned to look at me curiously. I remembered that I still hadn't told him everything about that night. I sighed, setting down my teacup that I never drank from. "There was a man who had been stalking me. He killed me. I was twenty-two."

Koenma wrote it down clinically. "Why was he stalking you?"

"I had a pretty face," I answered, trying absorb Koenma's detachment. "Apparently, he had taken an interest in me at a bar a couple of weeks prior and bought me a few drinks. I didn't remember him, and I still don't really. He said that I hadn't given him the time of day. Probably because I knew he was a creep."

Koenma nodded, scribbling. "What happened on the night he killed you?"

I frowned, trying to remember. "Jenna and I went out for a drink…no wait - I think one of our friends was having a bachelorette party at a dance club…it's kinda fuzzy. She drove me home. We made plans to hang out later in the week. I remember hearing her laugh while she drove away." I stopped, swallowing. "Then I went into my apartment. My phone rang, but whoever was on the line hung up. I had a bad feeling about it, so I got up to lock the door, but he burst in before I could twist the lock. He knocked me down and pointed a gun to my head."

Kurama went very, very still. His hand was stiff, and it grew cold against my own.

Koenma cleared his throat. "All right, what did he say then?" He had grown a bit pale, and he looked down at his note pad like he wasn't really seeing it.

"He made a sexual proposition to me, and I rejected it," I said flatly. This wasn't easy to talk about, and I wanted to get it over as quickly as possible. "He threatened to shoot me, and I told him to pull the trigger - so he did."

Koenma stared at me with wide brown eyes. He slowly looked down at his pad. "I see." He cleared his throat again, trying to maintain professionalism, and wrote another note. "What do you remember after that?"

I frowned, trying to remember. "I remember floating."

"When you first appeared, Alice, you did mention that," Kurama said, form softening now that we had moved on. His thumb ran over the back of my hand. "You said that you had floated for awhile, and then you were suddenly here."

Koenma looked thoughtful as he scribbled on his note pad. "That doesn't give me much to go on, but I suppose it'll have to do for now. Tell the dog if you remember anything else."

I blinked. "Right."

Kurama pulled me to my feet. "If there's nothing else, Koenma, I think we'll go." His hand was firm around my own, leading me. I think he could sense the turmoil I felt. His green eyes were worried.

"Oh, certainly," Koenma said, glancing at me. "You know where the portal is, Kurama. I'll see you another time, Alice."

I gave him a weak smile and nodded, turning to Kurama's back. He pulled me through the door into a large blueberry blue hallway, where there was a familiar green, breezy circle at the end. He didn't give me any time to really look at the portal - not that I particularly wanted to - but instead tugged me through with a hurried force. There was that cool feeling again, and then we were on the other side, in Kurama's room. The portal disappeared behind us.

The lamp in his room turned the white ceiling orange, I noticed, looking up, as he examined my face. He picked up my chin with his fingertips, like he was holding a glass. His mouth pressed into a thoughtful frown. "Perhaps a bath would help clear your mind," he suggested. His eyes never left my face, green eyes seeming to intensify with every passing moment.

I pulled away from him and nodded. He let me go and I wandered out of his bedroom and down the hall to the bath. My thoughts were circling around and around, and I felt my eyes burn as I closed the bathroom door behind me. I pulled off my clothes and tossed them in the laundry basket, feeling cold. I turned on the shower and then washed my hair, scrubbing my fingertips into my scalp. I winced as I hit the bump on my head and rinsed the shampoo out. The hot water burned my skin as I pulled conditioner through my hair.

_What am I gonna do?_

After a moment I realized that I had just been standing mindlessly under the scalding hot water, and I moved to soap up my loofah, shaking myself. I couldn't just stand there and waste all the hot water. Kurama still needed a bath.

I finished washing and rinsing, and turned the shower off. I faced the tub at the end of the bathroom, not really caring to sit in there and mope until the water got cold, but I thought after all that running and fighting, Kurama might want to relax in the tub after his shower. I squeezed the water out of my hair and pulled a towel around me like a toga, and then bent over and plugged the drain and turned on the faucet.

Suddenly I burst into tears.

I mean, I felt like crying for awhile, but this was just completely uncontrollable. I had no idea I was so close to tears. Luckily, it was that silent crying so I didn't have to worry about anyone hearing me.

I was just really frustrated and disappointed. I felt like my whole life was stupid. What did I do to get such bad karma? Seriously, who dies, gets a second chance at life, and then is told that she'll die young again? Seriously. What the fuck? I must have cried for about two minutes, because the tub was full when I finally looked up again. I turned the water off, wiping my eyes with the end of the towel, and stood up. I really didn't want to become a demon. I didn't want to lose my humanity.

Maybe if I waited, Koenma would find another way to alter my cellular structure. I grew hopeful again.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Alice?" Kurama asked through the wood.

Making sure the towel covered me properly, I opened the door and looked up at him. His uncertain look turned into one of mild relief. He gave me a slight smile. "You were taking awhile," he said. "I just wanted to be sure you were all right."

"I…yeah. I'm done with the bath. I filled up the tub for you," I said opening the door all the way, allowing him to step in while I stepped out. I rubbed my face, feeling drowsy. "I'm going to sleep."

He caught my free arm, warm hand wrapping around my damp skin. I looked back at him, curious. "May I see your back?" he asked, brows knitting together.

I turned my back to him and loosened the towel, letting it drape to my waist. His hand lightly touched my spine and I winced.

"You appear to have a large bruise growing here. Likely it's from Hiei's idea of a human ladder for Yusuke," he murmured. He pulled the edge of the towel back up, and I tightened it around me. "I'll take care of it for you in a while." I looked back at him as he glanced at me and turned to close the door to the bathroom. He gave me a slight smile. "Thank you for filling up the tub for me."

"You're welcome," I replied, managing a small smile of my own. He closed the door and I went down the hall to my room. I wondered if Shiori was already asleep or if she was downstairs and working in her office. I didn't know what time it was. I glanced at my clock when I went into my room and saw that it was past midnight. I sighed as I closed my bedroom door, drying myself off with my towel as I went to my white wardrobe. I pulled open one of the drawers and took out undies and pajamas. I pulled the clothes on and wrapped my wet hair up in the towel like a turban.

Then I went to look for Sitka. However, as soon as I opened the door, he was right there in front of it. He gave me a happy dog grin and moved past me into my room. I blinked and closed the door behind him.

He sat and I crouched curiously in front of him. "Sitka," I asked. "Can you talk?"

He gave me another doggy grin.  _'Yes.'_

* * *

Kurama's face swam into focus above me. His damp hair stuck to my cheek, and his eyes were narrowed in a frown. "Did you fall, Alice?" he asked.

I squinted my eyes at him. "…what happened?" I tried to pick myself up, but Kurama didn't move out of my way, so I was stuck in an awkward half-sitting position. "Why am I on the floor?"

His hands wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me up all the way, propping me against my bed frame. I felt a wave of dizziness and put my fingertips to my forehead. "Look up at me," Kurama said, silver pen light in hand. "Let me check your eyes." I obeyed and let him shine the pen light in my eyes. He frowned and turned it off, setting it to the side. He took my hand. "Squeeze my hand as hard as you can."

I did.

"I don't think you have a concussion," he murmured, examining my squeeze. I let go of him. "As to what happened, I came in and found you flat on your back. The dog was scratching at the door."

"The dog's name is Sitka," I muttered.

He gave me a patronizing smile. "How do you feel? Any nausea?"

I pushed away from him and got to my feet, pulling the loose towel off of my head. "No," I said, fluffing my damp hair. I picked my comb up from my vanity and raked it through my hair. "I'm fine."

He got to his feet, pulling his robe tighter around himself. He caught my wrist mid-stroke and turned my face to look at him. His green eyes snared mine and I found myself unable to look away. "Alice, I just want to know what you're thinking. You're putting a performance, pretending that you are perfectly fine, and I know very well that you're not."

I tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let go of me. I felt my mouth twitch with anger. "What do you want from me, Kurama? Is this just some sick game to you? Do you get off on giving me affection, caring about me, and then taking it all back?"

He froze and then slowly let go of me, looking down. "I see. Because I've hurt you, you don't trust me. I've suspected that for awhile, but I suppose this confirms it."

I turned to face the vanity's mirror, dragging the comb through my steadily drying hair. "What do you expect?" I muttered, not even sure of my own feelings.

I could see his hands clench into fists in the mirror. "I don't know," he replied. His voice was cool and controlled. "Would it be different if I were Hiei?"

I flung my comb at the wall and whirled around to face him. His accusatory tone infuriated me. His green eyes went wide at my sudden reaction, but I didn't give him time to say anything before I started shoving him toward my door. "Get out," I snapped. "Get out of my room, you stupid fucking moron! I hope you die, you son of a - urgh!"

Kurama had stopped against me shoving him, even though I was using my entire body weight to get him to the door, and caught my arms. His face looked relieved for some reason and I stiffened in surprise. "I'm glad," he murmured. "I prefer a furious reaction over a cold one. At least I know you feel  _something_."

"You were trying to make me angry?" I demanded, feeling another wave of rage. "Do you think I'm dead inside or something?" I yanked my arms out of his grasp. "Stop  _toying_  with me, Kurama!"

"I'm not toying with you, Alice," he said, looking almost helpless. "I just…want to know that you're all right." His tone was uncertain, and my anger died down somewhat. "This isn't an easy situation for you, and if you're upset I'd like to know."

I felt my lips press together as I absorbed this. I sighed. "Of course I'm upset. I get to die young,  _again._ "

His thumb brushed my cheekbone. "You have a very hard decision to make."

"It can wait. I just don't want to be a demon, and if Koenma can find another way, I'll be happy."

His hand dropped back to his side and he examined me with darkened eyes. His expression said that he was thinking very seriously about something, but the storm clouds broke and he gave me an easy smile. "I hope he does too, Alice. But…" he looked away, and I could see the glimmer of the storm again, "if he doesn't…we'll have to prepare."

I bent down and scooped up my comb, wondering briefly if Kurama was actually jealous of Hiei. "Yeah," I said. "I know."

He gracefully changed the subject. "Do you remember anything before you fainted?"

I tapped the comb against my head. "Sitka…something about him I guess." I looked up and saw a flash of anger on Kurama's face. "What? What is your beef with my dog?"

The irritated look didn't disappear. "I simply do not trust him - even if he is from Koenma," he said flatly.

I huffed and got to my feet. "You don't trust anyone at first, do you?"

His mouth tightened. He didn't like it when I read into him like that.

I looked at my comb in my hand and found my thoughts turning to Kurama's feelings about me again. I wanted him to like me. I wanted him to care about me. I wanted him to love me  _so much_.

"Are you all right?" Kurama asked, leaning over and looking at my face. "You're burning a hole in your comb."

I blinked and looked up at him. "Oh. I was just thinking." I stepped back and turned to my mirror, pulling the comb through my hair again.

"About?"

"I was wondering how long I was laying on the floor," I lied. "And then that kind of went to me wondering how much sleep debt I've accumulated."

I think he knew I was lying. He reached over and tugged one of my blonde curls like he was thinking of calling me out on it, but he didn't. "You must be very tired," he said finally. He took the comb out of my hand and made me sit down. He combed my hair thoughtfully, almost like he really wasn't seeing what he was doing, and fell silent for awhile. When he spoke again, it sounded like he had weighed every syllable and every letter of his words. "I realize that this is a lot for you, but I know you very well, Alice." He paused. "I don't think you'll make the decision in time."

I froze and turned to look back at him. His expression was solemn and he forest-green eyes were downcast. "Kurama, why would you think that?" I asked him, frowning.

"The fact that you have to think about it at all speaks volumes," he responded, voice taking on a certain sharpness. He leaned forward, wrapping one hand around the back of the chair, and the putting the other on the vanity. He crowded me with his arms, and trapped me with his eyes. "Tell me Alice, do you even want to live?"

"Of course I do, you nimrod," I retorted sharply, not appreciating his implication. "It's just really annoying that I have to be a  _demon_  to do it."

"Well, you do prefer to put off those  _really annoying_  things you don't want to do, Alice," he replied, unaffected by my insult. "If you don't make the decision for yourself, you can be very certain that I'll do it for you. I  _will_  force you into this procedure, even if you hate me for it."

I sat in shock for a moment. "You're  _very_  controlling, do you understand that? I am an adult, okay? I can make my own decisions.  _My_ _decision_  is to wait until there's a  _better_  option." My fists clenched with anger. "You don't get to have any say in what I do. You are not my parent, you are not my boyfriend, and you sure as hell are not my brother - am I clear?"

His jaw tensed and he stared at me intently. "I do understand what you're saying, but what if there isn't a better option?"

"Then I'll wait until I get sick. Koenma said I had a month, and that's plenty of time for them to do whatever they need to do," I answered, watching him warily. I knew he was filing this away for himself. Likely, he would take me even telling him this as some sort of will, assume some sort of power of attorney for himself, and completely ignore what I want. He was probably already concocting different ideas in his head about how to make me go through with the procedure.

I could see by the stony look in his eyes that he found waiting unacceptable. "I will not go through with you what I went through with Mother."

"Then  _don't_ ," I answered flatly, folding my arms and glaring daggers at him. "I'm not asking you to hold my hand. I don't even understand why you're trying so hard to help me. Am I not just an  _annoyance_  to you? You don't like me. You don't like what I do. I  _don't get it_."

"I  _care_  about you," he answered, grasping my hand between his. He changed his position from boxing me in to kneeling before me like a knight. "You must know that much, surely. No, I don't have feelings for you, and yes, I disagree with a lot of the things you do, but that doesn't change that fact that we've been together for nearly  _seven_  years, Alice. It's enough to make us friends, good friends. Don't you feel the same way?"

"Of course," I answered with a sigh. Kurama wins. Again. "Of course. I know I can depend on you, and we've always been there for each other, and no one knows me better than you. So yes, we're friends. We've been friends for awhile now."

And I guess that's all we'll ever be.

Kurama squeezed my hand and got to his feet. "You should get some rest. I'll take care of your back tomorrow. And the cut on your forehead - your face is far too lovely to be scarred."

_I hate you I hate you I hate you_

"All right," I said, trying to hide my hurt, but my words were still clipped and taciturn. "Good night."

He noticed my moodiness, but wasn't quite sure what the problem was, apparently. "Right, good night, then." He opened the door, gave me an uncertain look, and closed it behind him.

I put my face in my hands and growled.


	16. Gold Guns Girls

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Sixteen: Gold Guns Girls**

* * *

So, by this point, if you're wondering, I'd pretty much given up on Kurama. Not that pining after a guy that didn't love me wasn't fun and all, I'd just had enough. Shizuru seemed to second this and went shopping with me to help me distract myself. Unfortunately retail therapy, for all of my penny-pinching ways, actually happened to be one of my vices. I think it was the reason I was typically so tight-fisted and cheap, because I was saving up for days when I felt like shit.

This day, for example.

By the time Shizuru and I sat down at a café for a break, I had bought about 13,560 yen (or about $175) worth of clothes and shoes. In addition to that, Shizuru had dressed me up in a very cute outfit (to attract the boys she said - not that my foreign looks make me stand out at all here), that consisted of a floral frilly shirt, a black knit miniskirt, thick tights, red ankle boots, and a green bomber jacket. I was pretty much dressed to kill, and I felt like it too.

Of course, feeling all amazingly good-looking didn't change the fact that it was early November and I was …a  _bit_  chilly. So after putting up with my bitching for awhile, Shizuru and I spotted a café, in which she shoved me (good-naturedly) inside. We ordered coffee and I admired the blazer she had just bought for herself, while she critically examined the bold yellow pumps I had found on sale because they were out of season.

"So," she said, as the waitress set our coffee down and walked away. She turned her serious gaze to the coffee in the delicate china cup before her and dropped five sugar cubes into it. I wrinkled my nose, knowing that her coffee would be disgustingly sweet, but that's the way she always drank it. "What will you do now?" she asked, stirring her coffee.

 _Probably throw up_ , I wanted to say. But I forced myself to look at her and shrug. "About Shuichi-kun? I don't know…buy more shoes?"

She cracked a smile. "Maybe that's the best revenge. Spend all of his inheritance on heels. Ugly ones."

I snickered, stirring my coffee. I was still hesitant to tell Shizuru too much about me. I mean, I was sure she would understand, but I think I just had way too strange a story to tell.

"Mm," she murmured thoughtfully. "How was your birthday?"

"It was fine. Quiet," I replied, thinking about last week and tentatively testing my coffee. It burned my tongue - way too hot. I set it down quickly and smiled at her. "I'll consider this my gift, though. I'm having a great time today."

She gave me a warm smile. "You're fifteen now, right?"

I nodded, even though I was mentally much older than that. "It's kind of weird going into high school a little older than everyone, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "At least you're going into high school. I really wouldn't worry about it." She straightened, spotting something out of the café's window that I couldn't see. "My baby bro's outside. He just spotted us." She sighed as the door opened, and I had to wonder if her brother's presence actually bothered her. I doubted it.

"Hey, sis!" Kuwabara said happily as he came in with a burst of cold air. I burrowed into my jacket as he pulled out a chair at our table and flashed me a grin. "Hey, Alice." He eyed our shopping bags on the floor and raised his eyebrows. "Didn't realize you were such a spendthrift."

I shrugged. "I have my moments."

"What are you doing around town, baby bro?" Shizuru asked, lighting a cigarette. My heart filled with longing, and I didn't notice the dangerous edge to her tone.

"Oh, you know," he replied innocently. "Stuff. Oh look! Urameshi and Yukimura are outside too!" He waved rapidly at the window, and the door opened again.

I tightened my coat around me and looked up to see Yusuke and Keiko come through the door. Yusuke cast us a devilish grin and tugged Keiko to the table, pulling out a chair for her beside Shizuru. I examined her curiously, never having seen her in real life, and found her really cute. She was a little taller than me with big brown doe eyes, a wide face, and an mouth that seemed to upturn naturally - although she looked a little uncertain at the moment. Yusuke pulled a chair from another table and sat down between me and Keiko.

"What's going on?" he asked jovially. I expected he was probably glad that he was out with the girl he liked. I found myself wondering who confessed to who. Or maybe it was just more of a mutual, unspoken thing? Yusuke looked at Shizuru. "You're Kuwabara's sister right?" I quickly realized Yusuke didn't have a great memory for faces. He'd met her at least once or twice before.

She took a hit off her cigarette. "Right." Her honey-brown eyes glanced at Keiko. "Nice to see you again."

Keiko gave a slight nod of her head. "Ah, you too, Kuwabara-chan."

Briefly, I wondered where they had met before, but then I remembered that after the Saint Beast mission Yusuke ended up at Kuwabara's house and Keiko must have obviously visited.

"You can call me by my given name, sweetheart." Shizuru glanced up at me and I could see amusement in her eyes. I think we were both thinking the same thing about Yusuke. What was he doing dragging his supposed girlfriend into a café with strangers when they were clearly on some sort of date?

I leaned forward, giving Keiko a slight smile. "I'm Minamino Alice. You can call me by my given name too," I said lightly.

Keiko's eyebrows rose in interest. "Are you an exchange student?"

"Actually, she's a citizen, Keiko. Remember that Kurama guy that you met at Kuwabara's house?" Yusuke asked with an easy grin.

 _Wait a minute - so that means Shizuru knows Kurama as himself too?_  I thought frantically. I looked up to see her give me a knowing smile. I felt a sudden urge to bang my head against the table.  _That'll teach me to try to keep things from Shizuru._

I looked back at Yusuke, who was still talking. "Yeah, so Kurama's mom adopted her when she was little, so they're basically brother and sister."

_Please, God, a lightning bolt._

"Oh!" Keiko exclaimed. "So that's how it is!" She smiled at me cheerfully. "Where are you from originally, Alice?"

I frowned. I figured I needed to keep up the same pretenses that I had with Shiori with Keiko, Shizuru, and the others - but then again - did it even really matter? They were probably going to find out all about me anyway. I thought perhaps I could give them information about me piece by piece, so I didn't give anyone a heart attack.

"The States," I replied with a smile. I could feel that it was somewhat forced, so I quickly looked at Yusuke, deciding to change the subject. "So Yusuke, what are you doing deviating from what is clearly a date?"

"Yeah, Urameshi," Kuwabara added, probably sensing my unease. "You've got to read the atmosphere better!"

It was kind of funny, because they both glanced at each other, blushed, and then held up their hands in protest. "N-no! It's not like that!" they exclaimed.

Kuwabara and I exchanged a sly look.

"Methinks they doth protest too much."

"A river in Egypt," Kuwabara agreed, snickering.

"Ah! Oh, yeah! Alice, you helped with Yusuke's last case, right?" Keiko asked a bit more louder than necessary. Her cheeks were pink. "Er, how was it?"

I frowned, wondering how much Keiko knew at this point, and glanced at Yusuke. He shrugged, saying, "Botan said she told her everything." He opened his mouth again when Keiko wasn't looking, and mouthed ' _But edit please_ '.

"Right," I said, scratching my cheek. "Um, well, after going over there, I really didn't do much. I wasn't all that helpful, honestly."

"No way, Alice!" Kuwabara protested. "You helped Kurama in his fight, and then again in mine too!"

"Ah, well, I'm sure that without me you both would have been fine. Kurama definitely would have," I teased.

"Hey!"

"What was Alice doing helping you in a fight, baby bro?" Shizuru demanded.

Kuwabara immediately looked meek and glanced at me in desperation. "Um, well, sis -"

"Ah, actually, I insisted!" I said, quickly. "Yusuke and Kurama and Hiei were all pissing me off with their oh-you're-a-tiny-girl chauvinism -"

"Chivalry!" Yusuke protested.

Keiko looked incredibly doubtful.

"Whatever," I said, "anyway, I got annoyed and forced Kuwabara to let me fight beside him, so that's how it was."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "So how did that turn out?"

Kuwabara and I exchanged a look. "Er, we beat the guy!" he said, flashing the victory sign.

_Note to self: go to Kuwabara to defend honor and save face in the future._

"Yeah!" I grinned at Kuwabara.

"That's not exactly what I remem - OW! Alice!"

I had kicked Yusuke under the table. "Shut up," I muttered. I shuddered as a blast of cold air hit me again as someone opened the door.

"Oh! Hey, Kurama!" Yusuke exclaimed, looking surprised. "And Hiei! What are you doing here?"

I turned and saw Kurama and Hiei moving purposely toward our already mostly full table, the former looking somewhat cheerful, the latter looking annoyed. Kurama smiled at Yusuke. "I went to the bookstore across the street, and saw you all come in here. I ran into Hiei along the way. I thought we'd join you." His green eyes fell on our shopping bags and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Spending your inheritance," I said, exchanging a smile with Shizuru. Hers was more of the encouraging sort though. There was an empty seat beside me and one beside Kuwabara, and I really hoped Hiei would sit next to me. Kurama would be harder to ignore if he were right beside me.

Thankfully, Hiei did drop into the seat next to me (probably wanting to avoid Kuwabara) and Kurama sat in the last chair, between Shizuru and Kuwabara.

"Well, this is nice," Yusuke said languidly, stretching his arms overhead like a cat. "Having everyone together like this before I head off to Grandma's again."

I blinked. "Are you going to be gone for awhile?" I picked up my lukewarm coffee and finished it off, wondering if the waitress was ever going to come back. I looked around the café for her, but she must have been in the kitchen or something.

"Eh, yeah," he sent a nervous glance to Keiko that clearly meant that he wasn't telling her everything. "Gotta finish my training!" He grinned.

Keiko just shook her head. "Boys."

I frowned, wondering what he was keeping from her.

Kuwabara sat back. "Yeah, I kinda figured you'd go back to Genkai's to get ready for the Dark - ow!"

Yusuke gave an extremely loud laugh. "Oh, did you hurt yourself Kuwabara?" He turned, looking around the café. "I wonder if we can get some coffee soon."

Keiko frowned and I felt incredibly annoyed. I knew that the words out of Kuwabara's mouth were going to be "Dark" and "Tournament". I refrained from shooting Kurama an angry glare because that wouldn't make sense. How was I supposed to know what was going on? I fumed for awhile and refused to look up at Kurama, even though I could see him glancing at me from my peripheral vision.

Luckily, the waitress came back with a whole new tray of coffee and cups for everyone, which changed the atmosphere considerably. "Would anyone like to order anything else?" she asked, setting a lovely china coffee pot in the middle of the table. "We have a special on pumpkin pie today."

"Oh, that sounds really good!" Keiko said brightly. "I'll take a slice."

I turned to Hiei as he dumped a ton of sugar in his coffee. "Do you want anything?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Ice cream," he finally said. "Any flavor is fine."

The waitress nodded and left the table.

Keiko was looking at Hiei curiously. He noticed, of course, and met her with a hard stare of his own. She gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, sorry, you just seem really familiar is all. Do I know you, by any chance?"

"No, you don't," he replied flatly.

"Oh," she mumbled and shrunk down into Yusuke's side.

I elbowed him and scowled. "Be civil," I said quietly.

Hiei looked like he was making an upmost effort to not roll his eyes at me. "I doubt that's possible with a human involved. I can barely tolerate you."

I picked up my coffee and sent him a dazzling smile. "So nice to hear. It's like you love me!"

He gave me a flat look.

I looked up at Kurama and Kuwabara to find that they seemed to be making some sort of plans to train or something, while Shizuru glanced at them occasionally and held a quiet conversation with Keiko. Yusuke was half-listening to Keiko and half-listening to Kurama and Kuwabara. His brown eyes held a brief solemnity and was quickly replaced with forced cheer when he caught me looking at him.

I leaned in close to him. "So what's this Dark thingy you're preparing for?" I asked quietly.

His face fell and he glanced with uncertainty at Kurama. "He hasn't told you yet?"

I smiled. "I've just remembered that his room needs destroying. So spill."

Yusuke blinked. "Uh, well, we're all invited to this tournament, and we have to win it." He glanced furtively at Keiko. "It's pretty serious. There'll be a lot of demons there. Strong ones."

I felt my eyes narrow. "What happens if you don't win?"

He looked grim. "They kill us."

" _What?"_  I hissed.

Yusuke shushed me as the waitress came back with Keiko's pie and Hiei's ice cream, cheerfully setting it down in front of them. She walked away again with a smile.

I couldn't ask anything more from Yusuke because Keiko recaptured his attention again, offering him a bite of her pie. I turned to Hiei instead who seemed to be slowly savoring each bite of his Neapolitan ice cream.

"What's going on, Hiei?"

He gave an amused sound and met my gaze. "You're worried? How stupid."

I gave up. "Fine. All of you die. See if I care," I muttered. I dug into my purse and pulled out enough money to cover my coffee, and after a moment of debate, Hiei's ice cream. Picking up my shopping bags, I got to my feet and flashed a smile at Keiko and Shizuru. "Nice meeting you again, Keiko. Sorry Shizuru, I've got to go. Bye everyone." I shouldered my heaviest bag higher, and started for the door.

Kurama was suddenly at the door and swung it open for me. "I'll walk with you," he said, following me out of the café.

"No," I said flatly, jerking away when he tried to reach for one of my bags.

"Alice," he said patiently, "I was going to tell you, but I hadn't the opportunity. Now please hand me that bag."

I didn't even say anything. I just walked away from him. He followed me of course, pelting me with patient words and soft tones, but I ignored him. He eventually realized that he wasn't getting through to me though, and I found myself jerked to a stop. His hand turned my face up to his and I met his green eyes with apprehension, wondering what he was going to do to me, but I only felt the bags slide down my arm as he pulled them into his hand.

"Sorry," he finally said, taking his hand away. He stepped back and started walking.

I followed him, heels clicking angrily on the sidewalk. "Give me my bags," I demanded, hauling up the other two on my shoulder.

"No," was his firm reply.

" _Kurama._ "

He stopped again and I almost ran into him. He turned and looked down at me, meeting my furious gaze with calm green eyes. "I'm not entirely sure why you're so angry with me, but if you cannot tell me, then stop."

I'll admit, he caught me off guard with that one. Finally I looked down, subdued. "Sorry," I mumbled.

His mouth pressed into a thin line. "You get caught up in your emotions too easily, Alice. You don't think about other people."

"Sorry," I said again.

He gave me a half-smile. "Let's go home. I'll tell you more about the Tournament."

* * *

So. The Dark Tournament quickly became the bane of my existence. As it turned out, after talking to Kuwabara, Shizuru didn't know anything about it, and he begged me to keep quiet. I figured she'd find out anyway, but I didn't say anything because he just looked so upset. I could tell he was really scared. He had been working hard, training with Kurama (who I quickly noticed was  _quite_  a merciless sparring partner), trying to become strong enough to face what was ahead.

I came out and watched them on the outskirts of town sometimes. Kurama had actually suggested that I watch and get used to seeing them fight, since he knew that I was going to the Tournament, no matter what he said. I grudgingly agreed. Hiei showed up occasionally, mostly to spar with Kurama. He had a go with Kuwabara once, but I could tell that he was going easy on him. Hiei quickly got annoyed with my human friend and let Kurama take over.

It was early January now, and the Dark Tournament was in a couple of days. All of us, Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and myself, and Sitka, were in our usual clearing on Asaka's outskirts. I wasn't sure what time it was, but I knew it was early, since Kurama had made me get up before the sun rose. The sky was lighting up now, and it was cold, making me huddle against Sitka's side. I had a coat on, but the air still got to me. Hiei was in a somewhat accommodating mood and stood next to me after awhile, giving off a nice steady heat, like a furnace.

"Thanks," I said.

"Your shivering is annoying," he said flatly, watching Kuwabara swing his sword around, only to get tripped by a root Kurama pulled up.

Sitka nosed me, giving me a small doggy kiss.  _'Sorry I couldn't keep you warmer, Alice. If it makes you feel better, he's not that irritated.'_

I jumped a bit. Even though Sitka had been quite chatty for the last several months, his voice still surprised me.  _I know_ , I thought back at him, pressing my lips together.  _I think he considers me something like a friend. Or something._

' _Or something,'_ Sitka agreed with amusement.  _'He likes you.'_

I blinked and turned to face the dog beside me. "What?" I asked incredulously.

Hiei glanced at me, but saw that I was talking to Sitka, and turned back to the fight-thing.

Sitka's amusement turned devilish and teasing. ' _He listens to your thoughts sometimes. He knows how much you like Kurama, and that's why he hasn't made a move on you. He doesn't know why he likes you either.'_

How did Sitka know all of this? Sure he was a super-cool telepathic dog, but Hiei  _did_  have a Jagan. If Sitka had invaded his mind, Hiei would obviously notice.

' _I have a good nose, Alice,'_ he replied, sincere. ' _I can smell thoughts, you know.'_

I wasn't really sure how to feel about all of this. Hiei liked me?  _Liked_  me, liked me? That was pretty hard to wrap my head around, honestly, but I didn't doubt Sitka. I trusted him to give me whatever information he knew.

"Ugh. Alice! Why don't you take a turn with this  _guy_  here?" Kuwabara called to me, picking himself up from the ground. He looked completely wiped out and a little beat up.

"Fuck no. I like being alive, thanks."

Kurama raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. He smiled. "A little hand to hand won't kill you, Alice. I would like to see your capabilities, anyway."

I glanced at Sitka.  _What are his intentions, exactly?_ I thought at him.

' _He's being forthright. He doesn't want to hurt you or anything. You should go all out though, since he's so much stonger than you.'_  There was a certain tone to Sitka's voice however, something that said he was unhappy with it. I knew Sitka didn't like Kurama any more than Kurama didn't like him, but I still didn't know what all of this hostility was about.

Grudgingly, I got to my feet, leaving the warm space between Hiei and Sitka, feeling completely self-conscious. "This is stupid," I muttered.

Kurama cracked a smile. "I don't expect you to fight me, Alice. Just hit me as hard as you can."

I gave him an uncertain look. "With my fist?"

He nodded.

"Where?" I asked, still feeling awkward. Why was it so much harder for me to think about hitting him than it was for those girls that cornered Kitajima?

He pointed to his stomach. "Knock the breath right out of me. I want to test your strength."

I looked at him with exasperation. "You already  _know_  that I'm not -"

Kurama pushed me. Not hard enough to knock me down or anything, but just enough to surprise and irritate me and take a step back to catch myself.

"What was that for?" I snapped.

"Do I have to make you angry, Alice?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hit me."

For the record, I hate being manipulated, so I turned around to go back where I was sitting, wondering if I should just leave. However, a rock sailed past me and clipped Sitka on the shoulder. He jumped and gave a yelp of surprise, and I stopped short.

"Did you just throw a rock at my dog, Kurama?" I asked without turning around.

"Yes, I believe I did," he replied.

I didn't even turn before my viridian coils snapped around him. Kurama, having never been on the receiving end of my attack, was probably experiencing a really big fucking shock. I turned as he gave a pained yell and fell to the clearing's floor, and still feeling completely enraged, I squeezed the coils tighter. I could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to analyze and figure out ways to get out of his current predicament, but I released him before he could come to any conclusions.

I looked up and saw Hiei beside me, hand outstretched like he had been about to grab me or smack me, I wasn't sure which. His arm dropped to his side as he looked Kurama over. "You didn't intend to really hurt him," he remarked. "You held onto me longer."

I watched Kurama pull himself up and get to his feet. "You surprised me, Alice. I didn't expect you to do that to me." He sounded out of breath, and his body was trembling.

"You deserved it," I said coldly. "And another thing -" I pulled my right arm back and drove my fist into his stomach. He at least had the grace to wince, and I spun on my heel and crouched down next to Sitka.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

' _It's bruised,'_  he replied.  _'He could have really hurt me if he wanted to.'_  Sitka's brown eyes were dark and he looked as if he were on the verge of growling.  _"He's dangerous, Alice.'_

I smoothed the fur around his neck as Kuwabara crouched next to us. "Is he all right?"

"Bruised," I replied, scratching Sitka's ear like he liked.

Kuwabara looked a bit torn. "It makes me angry that he did that, but he did have a reason."

"He went too far," I snapped. "I won't forgive him."

Kuwabara sighed and looked up at Kurama, pointedly. "I think I'll go home for today. Let's meet up again tomorrow."

"That's fine, Kuwabara. See you tomorrow," Kurama said from behind me.

Kuwabara waved and disappeared behind the trees.

I got to my feet, planning to leave too, but I felt Hiei's hot hand land on the back of my neck. "Stay," he said, and then he disappeared, leaving me, Kurama, and Sitka alone in the clearing.

Sitka growled, hackles rising.

I looked up, wondering what Kurama could possibly want. An apology? I'd tell him to suck it. You don't throw a rock at my dog and then expect me to sit through an apology - I don't care if he was just trying to test my _capabilities_ or whatever.

"Your power," he said finally, "is a bit like being electrocuted and suffocated at the same time." There was a flicker of something in his voice. It almost sounded like anger, but it wasn't sharp enough. "I really thought for a split second that you were seriously attempting to kill me." He grimaced. "You were right. I went too far. I underestimated your anger and your love for that …dog."

"Why would you even do something like that?" I demanded bitterly. "It's not like Sitka can defend himself! You  _know_  how I feel about cruelty to animals, Kurama. Especially  _my dog_."

His frowned. "I assure you Alice, he could have dodged the rock if he wanted to. For whatever reason, he stayed where he was."

I got to my feet, feeling electricity crackle around me, fighting the urge to swing at him. "You know something, Kurama? I trust my dog more than I trust you."

His green eyes widened. "What are you saying, Alice?"

I clenched my jaw and turned away to start heading through the trees. Sitka followed me, but Kurama caught my wrist and yanked me to face him before I got too far. He had a strange expression of utter shock and disbelief on his angular face.

"What are you saying?" he asked again.

I could feel my blue eyes flash with anger. "I'm saying I'm tired of playing games with you. I'm tired of  _you_." His eyes were still wide, but I could see him thinking, see him going over everything,  _everything_  he'd said and done to me in the last seven years.

He grimaced. "Alice, I know you're angry right now, but know that I am sincerely sorr -"

I slapped him. It was quick and sharp, and it wasn't very forceful, but it sure as hell shut him up.

"I  _don't_  want to hear that you're sorry," I said coldly. " _Sorry_ , no matter how many times you say it, won't make up for Kitajima, or the kiss, or throwing a fucking  _rock_  at my dog. You know, you had it right when you said that you were a horrible person. You're  _not_  a good man. You're cruel and manipulative, and I wish I had realized it sooner, instead of  _dwelling_  on you like some stupid, lovesick teenaged -  _what_  are you doing?"

Kurama, who had been looking steadily helpless with every word that came out of my mouth, seemed to finally come to some sort of realization or epiphany and pulled me against him. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, pressing my face into his collarbone, letting his warm body-heat seep through his clothes and to my face.

"Let me go!" I demanded, squirming in his grasp. I heard Sitka give a deep growl behind me.

Kurama ignored both of us. "Alice, over the years, I've realized there are two ways to diffuse your anger. Once is to give you approximately three months worth of space, and the other is hold you and let you cry. I don't really care to spend several months avoiding you, and I know right now, more than anything in the world, all you want to do is cry."

" _No_ ," I retorted, wriggling harder. "What I want to do is punch  _every inch of you_."

His arms wouldn't give through. He was just so much stronger than me - it so was  _infuriating!_  He sighed. "You have to let yourself cry, Alice."

"I. Don't. Have. To. Cry."

He sighed again and I felt his upper hand rub the back of my shoulder. "I'll wait," he said patiently.

I gave a small scream of frustration into his shirt as he rocked me side to side. He just didn't get it, did he? Did he think that he was going to get off that easily? Did he think that I was some sort of all-forgiving saint? Like I would forget about the way he treated me, about the way he led me on, and everything would just be fine. Bullshit. He didn't get to do that to me and expect me to be okay. I  _wasn't okay._ I really, really wasn't. I hadn't been okay for ages.

So where did that leave me? What did I have to do to be happy again? Run until I passed out? And then run some more?

"What should I do?" I found myself murmuring, with a hitch in my voice. My ribcage shuddered with a shaky breath. Oh God, I was really doing it. I was really about to cry. I tried to clamp my mouth shut, because I really didn't want to cry, I really, really didn't. But sometimes you don't get a say in what happens with your tear ducts. Sometimes you don't get a say when someone just craps on you and pretends that you're furniture. You don't get a say when someone stronger and smarter than you uses you and toys with your emotions. You don't get a say when they make you cry in their rumpled shirt.

"I hate you," I hissed through my tears. "You're the worst." But I didn't really mean that. I didn't. He was just awful and mean and making me cry.

Kurama tensed and dropped his cheek on top of my head as I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and sobbed some more. "I know," he said. And then I cried harder because he thought I meant it, and I hated hurting him. "I'm sorry, Alice. I know you aren't the type that forgives and forgets easily, and I foolishly overlooked that. I thought that you would get over it in time, but it seems like everything's just built up inside of you like a bomb waiting to go off." He sighed, rubbing my back. "I should have addressed this sooner. I know that you're angry about a lot of things. You have a right to be upset."

Did he even know what I was mad about?

"And I'm certain you're also angry about this upcoming procedure…"

 _Do what you what with my life, Kurama. It's not like I have a say or anything._ I leaned against him, feeling defeated, sniffling. I knew he would do whatever the hell he wanted to, and ignore any of my wishes. He was merciless. He would give me nothing I wanted.

"I just…I just want to save you, Alice," he said, a difficult tone entering his voice. "Can you understand that?"

I had a shaky inhale. "I never wanted to be the damsel in distress, so take a hike, would you?" I gripped him tighter though, almost afraid that he would let me go. "Take your saving-people-thing and shove it."

I didn't want him to save me. I wanted him to  _love_ me.

He didn't say anything, but responded by holding me tighter. "I'm sorry," he murmured after awhile. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

I cried harder, but I never felt any better.

* * *

The Dark Tournament came up pretty quickly. Kurama gave Shiori the excuse that we were going away for a strict studying camp activity for a week, organized by the school. She believed us and made sure we remembered to take all of our textbooks and notes with us. I had thought about bringing Sitka too, but I wasn't sure about leaving Shiori alone without any sort of protection. Not that Sitka could really do much but growl and bite and look big and mean, but at least it would be something. Kurama agreed and so he stayed.

After that, the guys went their separate ways to go to the boat that would take them to Hanging Neck Island. I took the ferry, which was a lot of fun. I had never been on one before. It was night, so I couldn't see much outside, but I leaned over the rail even though it was about thirty degrees outside and watched the water churn below. I love the ocean. Give me a beach or a body of water anywhere, anytime, and I'm in love.

"Nice, isn't it?"

I looked up, turning my head to look over my shoulder at the guy that had spoken. He was probably sixteen or so, with dyed orangish/black hair. He gave me an easy smile, which somehow meshed really well with his Americanized looks. He pulled his dark coat tighter around him and glanced down at the water.

I straightened up. "Yeah. I love the sea. I bet you could see dolphins here in the day," I said, returning his smile.

"Mm, I don't think you'd see many this time of year, actually. They're probably hanging around the south where it's warmer," he said lightly, correcting me. He probably could tell by my swift expression of dismay that I like to be right - all the time. He looked me over in the electric ferry lights. "Are you American? You speak Japanese pretty well for one."

"Actually, I'm a Japanese citizen," I replied. Then I said politely, since it's what you do in Japan: "My Japanese isn't that great." Even though it was impeccable. But whatever.

"Ah," he said, still curious. He smiled. "Sorry, I just saw you from inside and I thought you looked interesting."

For the record, this happens to me a lot. Typically, I'm the only person of European descent within a twenty-mile radius of wherever I am. I get looks. People talk to me. I'm cool with it though, because I like to use it as a chance show the Japanese that foreigners can embody that lady-like spirit that seemed so prevalent in the culture. I usually surprise people.

"I'm Minamino Alice," I said, giving the guy a slight bow.

He blinked and bowed back. "Sakurai Naoto." He leaned on the rail next to me, watching the water churn against the ferry. "Have you ever lived anywhere else?" he asked curiously.

"I don't remember much of my childhood," I replied lightly. "My parents died in a car accident when I was eight."

He stiffened. "Sorry. To make you remember something painful like that when I've just met you…please forgive me." He bowed and looked like he was about to leave, but I stopped him.

"Don't worry about it, Sakurai-kun. I'm not offended." I offered him a smile. "It's not like you knew or anything. Anyway, it's nice to have someone to talk to out here. Everyone is so clever and staying inside where it's warm, but I've never been on a ferry before…" I trailed off, letting him accept the change of subject.

He gave a relieved little laugh. "Yes, we're kind of idiots aren't we? Actually, I take the ferry quite a bit, since my dad lives across a bay. I live with my mom most of the time, so I try to see him when I can. In the summer you really do see pods of dolphins - around there anyway."

"They're nice," I murmured. "Are you going to the Dark Tournament?" I sort of guessed that everyone on the ferry was, since I was certain that it was the reason Hanging Neck Island even existed.

He nodded. "My dad is one of the organizers." He looked uncertain. "So then you know what to expect, right? You know…er…everything?"

"Yep. My adoptive brother and several of our friends are on one of the teams." I gave him a sideways look. "Demons exist, right?" It wasn't a question, but more like code.

He nodded slowly, looking me over again, expression unsure. "I'm not really psychic or anything, but just to make sure, you're human, right? If you are then…you're tied to  _that_  team. The invited one."

"Right," I replied, watching his face. He seemed sad.

"I've heard…that bad things usually happen to the invited teams. So I hope everything goes well for them." He looked a little sheepish. "It would be sad to see you cry." He gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry, I said something corny."

I gave a small chuckle of my own. "Hearing something like that when you first meet someone is really nice. Different, but nice. Thank you." I smiled at him. It was clear that he was nervous around me, but the fact that he was making an effort said a lot about him. "So are you a high school student?"

He nodded. "I'm a first year at Sato School for the Arts. I'm going into my second year soon."

"Oh, really? Sato is on my list of choices," I said cheerfully. "I'm leaving Meiou this March."

Sakurai blinked at me. "You mean Meiou Junior High? That elite, private school in Asaka?"

I nodded.

"So you're probably really smart then," he commented.

I pulled on my polite face and gave a little titter. "Oh no, I'm not that smart," I said, smiling.

He looked at me closely. "That's an I'm-a-genius smile. You're completely brilliant, aren't you? Anyone who goes to that school is incredibly bright, since they have a zero-tolerance policy for poor grades. I knew one of the guys that got kicked out of there for slacking off." He smiled. "You don't have to be polite."

I tipped my head to the side. "No, it's more like I'm a good student with above-average intelligence. And I've only recently become a good student in the last four years. I'm not a genius or anything." I shifted my weight. "Tell me about Sato. Do you like it?"

He nodded. "It's a great school if you're interested in acting. We have a modeling division too, but I don't think you're tall enough," he said with a laugh. "I'm in the acting division, actually. But there are other things like painting, music, and dance. Also, if you get a gig, they're really lenient about you coming and going as you please. They've also got a really good academic program, so you don't have to worry about it being beneath other high schools in the area."

"I've been in a couple of plays before," I said, thinking back to my last life. I was in UIL One Act Play in high school, so I already knew a bit about acting - or what goes on in a theatre anyway. "They were a lot of fun."

"Yeah, and you could probably do a lot of television ads. You're really cute, so I think you'd have a good chance," he said, grinning. And then he blushed. "Oh, sorry, I said something weird again."

I laughed at him. "You're funny, Sakurai-kun."

He pulled out his cell phone. "Let's exchange email addresses. Is it all right if I call you Alice?" he asked brightly.

I nodded, feeling happy for making a new friend. "That's fine. So I can call you Naoto then?" I asked, pulling out my own cell phone and activating the program that put our contact information in each other's phones. There was a  _bing_  to let me know that I got the information.

"Yep," he replied, closing his phone. He looked up, past me. "I think we're about to be there," he said squinting in the distance. "Are you going to the ball tonight?"

I blinked. "They're having a ball?"

Naoto nodded. "Yeah, for the committee members and organizers and all of the corporate yakuza involved. I think a couple of the teams that are fighting are invited, but I don't know which ones. I imagine that the human team was invited."

Kurama hadn't mentioned it if they were. I shrugged. "I don't know."

"You could come as my guest," he offered kindly.

I smiled brightly. "Well, I didn't exactly bring an evening gown or anything." Going did sound fun, but it wasn't going to happen without the right threads.

He held up a finger. "I already have a solution. My friend Kyoko brought an extra dress with her, and I know she wouldn't mind lending it out. She's really nice, and about your size too."

I gave him a wry smile. "I'm bundled up in a coat, Naoto. How can you possibly tell my size?"

He shrugged. "Kyoko is about the same size when she's wearing her coat."

The ferry suddenly jolted, making me lose my balance. Naoto caught my arm and steadied me before I could fall though. "Oh, we're here," he said brightly. He turned around and looked as the people started filing out of the ferry's cabin. "Kyoko!" he called, waving.

A small girl long dark hair came from the crowd and stopped in front of us. She gave off an aura of a haughty lady, as she glanced at Naoto. When she looked at me though, her expression became somewhat curious. "What, Naoto?" she asked.

"Do you think this girl could borrow your extra dress for tonight?" he asked, glancing between us. He had been right. Kyoko and I were about the same size.

I smiled and bowed politely. "Sorry for asking, but I'll take good care of it if you allow it."

Kyoko suddenly grabbed my face, turning it this way and that. Her fingers raked through my hair holding it up to the electric ferry lights to see the blonde strands better. After that she unbuttoned my coat and wrapped her hands around my waist. I blinked at her, in total shock, as she pulled away thoughtfully. "The red one," she muttered to herself. "Yes, you'll fit." She nodded.

Naoto smiled. "Kyoko also goes to Sato. She's interested in fashion design."

"Oh," I said, still feeling surprised.

"Let's head up to the hotel," Naoto said cheerfully. He grabbed his suitcase on rollers that I hadn't noticed beside him and looked at me expectantly. Kyoko also had some similar luggage, and then I realize we all practically the same bag.

I laughed a bit as I pulled up the handle on my own bag and followed Naoto and Kyoko off the ferry. I almost lost them in the crush of people, but Naoto's dyed hair stood out, even in the night. I looked around, wondering if Kurama's boat had docked yet, but I didn't see another boat around yet, so I supposed not.

We made it up the path to the hotel surprisingly fast, considering all the people. Luckily, the hotel clerks seemed very adept at their jobs and the line to get my room didn't take very long. I didn't really get a chance to look around the lobby, since Naoto kept up a constant chatter and Kyoko kept toying with my hair (neither of which I really minded). I did notice that I wasn't the only foreigner around, however. They seemed to make up about a third of the crowded lobby.

At last the clerks got to us and passed us our keys, and sent us on our way. I had already reserved and paid for my room over the phone, and apparently Naoto and Kyoko had also done the same thing.

"Kyoko-san," I began as we got into one of the gold-plated elevators. "Are one of your parents a committee member or organizer like Naoto's too?"

She nodded, but didn't say anything else. I decided not to pry, realizing that Kyoko seemed to be a private and quiet person, and if anything Naoto was her mouthpiece. "You may use the dress," she said finally. "You are suitable for it."

"Erm…thank you?" I said uncertainly.

"Kyoko made the dress, so as an artist, it's important to her that you're right for it," Naoto explained. "Please excuse her eccentricities."

I smiled. "Not at all! If Kyoko-san thinks that I will be tolerable for her piece then it's a very high compliment," I said, as the doors to the elevator opened. "Um, I'm in room 522. What time is the ball?"

Naoto looked at his watch. "In an hour. See you there!" he called as the doors closed on him and Kyoko.

I laughed a bit and turned down the hall, looking for my room.

* * *

Kyoko's dress fit perfectly. She was clearly, amazingly gifted. It was a bold red - the same color as a maraschino cherry, and strapless, with a gorgeous ruffle running vertically from the bust line to the hem that swept the floor. It hugged my waist and then carefully flared out a bit from my hips, draping elegantly down.

We admired the dress on me in the mirror for a bit, and then Kyoko attacked my hair. She was actually very gentle, but she was so quick and jerky around me that someone watching might consider it violent. After a moment, she pulled away and I saw that she had tied my hair in a low, side semi-updo, letting my hair drape over my left shoulder in a mass of blonde curls. After that I dug through my makeup and put on red lipstick, blush, and mascara.

Kyoko nodded in approval. She picked up her clutch that would match her chic, one strapped, deep blue dress, and turned toward the door expectantly. I slipped on a pair of black heels I brought with me, eyeing her. Her black hair was pulled into a complicated updo that must have taken her ages to accomplish, but I noticed that the dark blue in her dress brought out the subtle blue highlights in her hair.

We left the room and got into the elevator and rode it down to the hotel's lobby. Kyoko seemed to know where to go so I followed her, adjusting the bracelet on my wrist.

"Alice?"

I stopped and saw the boys enter the lobby. Kuwabara was holding an unconscious Yusuke up, while Kurama looked at me curiously. Hiei and the short, covered fighter (who I remembered was Genkai) stood beside them.

"Oh! Hey, you finally arrived," I said, crossing the floor to meet them. Kyoko followed me curiously. "I actually got here about an hour ago," I continued. I frowned. "Why is Yusuke sleeping?"

Kuwabara looked grim. "Genkai's training."

"What are you doing?" Kurama asked, eyeing the dress.

"I'm going to a ball with Kyoko and Naoto," I replied, indicating to the girl standing quietly beside me. "I met them on the ferry."

Kurama was still looking at my dress. "Oh?"

I smoothed the bodice. "Kyoko made this. She's really talented. You know the Sato Art Academy that's on my list? Both of them go there, so I'm learning more about it too." I smiled.

"Kyoko! Alice!"

We turned and saw Naoto approaching us, wearing a tuxedo, which he looked very strange in. "Oh, Alice, is this the invited team?" he asked brightly. "Excellent. It's nice to meet you all," he said giving a slight bow.

No one returned it, which I thought was rude.

"This is Naoto," I said pointedly.

Kurama frowned at me. "May I speak with you a moment, Alice?"

"Excuse me," I said to Kyoko and Naoto, who both seemed a bit uncertain.

Kurama led me out of earshot of anyone, looking grim. "This is not a good idea, Alice."

"Oh?" My tone carried a hint of irritation.

"Hiei's been telegraphing the thoughts of the surrounding humans in here to me, and it clearly isn't safe for you. Your new friends seem very nice though, but they can't protect you here. If the humans at this gathering discover that you're connected to us, it will be very bad for you. Do you understand what I'm saying, Alice?" Kurama said. "It's too dangerous."

I sighed. "But I'm so pretty. Just look at this dress! This beautiful dress!"

Kurama's mouth was hard. "I understand you're joking right now, but I am completely serious. I will take you back to your room." He stiffened and glanced over his shoulder to Hiei, who must have sent him a rather disturbing thought. "Say goodbye to your friends and stay away from them for the rest of the time you're here. They're not safe either, apparently."

" _What?_ " I demanded. "They're fine! I haven't gotten a bad vibe from them all night."

"Their parents are not good people, Alice. And Naoto…" he stopped, a mildly revolted look on his face.

I blinked. "What about him?"

"He would very much like to know what you look like without your dress on," he said with ice in his green eyes.

Oh God. I felt my face pull into a grimace. "Really? I didn't want to know that. I really didn't." I mean, Naoto is a teenage boy with  _urges_ , but I would rather not think about it.

Kurama's hand circled my arm as he led me back toward the elevators. "I will return momentarily. Say your goodbyes, Alice."

"Sorry, I can't stay," I said to Naoto and Kyoko, trying to focus more on Kyoko, who probably wasn't thinking about me naked. "Something important has come up. Kyoko, I'll send this for dry cleaning and leave it at the front desk for you. Thank you both for everything," I said with a bow.

"Not at all," Naoto said, clearly wondering what was going on. Kyoko nodded to me, eyeing Kurama's hand around my arm.

I gave one final smile and then Kurama led me away. When we got into the elevator, he dropped his hand from my arm. "Which floor?" he asked, hand hovering over the buttons.

"Five," I replied, rubbing my arm. I think he had held me tighter than he meant to.

The doors closed and he turned to me, seeing my hand over where his was a moment ago. "Sorry, Alice. Did I hurt you?"

"Not really," I said, taking my hand away and letting it fall to my side.

His eyes lingered on my arm and then turned up to my face. "You're angry with me."

I sighed. "I'm not. It's just…I'm completely gorgeous right now and there isn't anyone to appreciate it. No jealous girls, no cute guys wondering who I am - it's really annoying! I mean, look at me!" I growled, my frustrated vanity making claws out of my hands. "How many times do I get to dress up like this?"

Kurama's face was turned away and he was holding himself, body trembling like he was trying very hard not to laugh. After a moment, he composed himself, turning to face me and met my scowl. His mouth twitched in amusement, but he managed to keep his laughter in.

"Is that really what's bothering you?" he asked.

My scowl deepened and I looked away from him, folding my arms in front of me. "Well, I don't expect you to understand. You're a  _guy_  after all."

"Yes," he said, his voice taking on an almost  _sensual_  tone that made me look up at him in surprise. "I am a guy, Alice. A guy with a very striking beauty in front of me."

I could feel my face freeze in shock for a moment, before I mentally shook myself. I knew that Kurama didn't mean anything by it, since it was him. "You're obligated to say that," I muttered, as the elevator doors opened with a ding.

"Not really," he said lightly, following me off the elevator.

Inwardly, I squashed any hopeful thought that soared up into a steel padlocked box in my stomach. I had to remind myself that Kurama didn't like me, and I felt my jaw clench with the effort to not feel hopeful. I had to become hard. Hard and icy - like a Stephanie Meyer vampire.

I tried not to throw up.

We stopped in front of my door and I pulled out the room key from the red clutch Kyoko lent to me. Sliding the card into the slot, I forced the door open before it could lock on me again, and turned to look back at Kurama.

"Um, see you tomorrow then," I said.

"Mmhm," he nodded, green eyes never leaving my face. His reached up and pushed some hair out of my face and I instinctively jerked away from him with wide eyes.

"Don't touch me so casually," I snapped, pushing myself into the room and out of his reach. My heart was racing as I felt myself flush.  _Icy and hard_ , I told myself, steeling myself and scattering the butterflies in my stomach.  _I should hate him. All he's ever done is break my heart._

His hand curled and dropped by his side. The almost sad look in his green eyes made all of my efforts to hate him sputter and halt. He forced a smile. "You're right, Alice. I apologize."

"Well," I muttered, turning back to my room, avoiding his eyes. "See you tomorrow, then."

His hand stopped the door as I closed it. I could feel the massive strength he had in that one wiry arm before he took it away from the door. "I'll wake you for breakfast," he said, tone casual. "Don't stay up too late."

"Got it."

"And Alice?"

"What?"

He smiled. "You really do look beautiful tonight."

I slammed the door in his face.

* * *

True to his word, Kurama woke me up the next morning, knocking on the door for about five minutes before I opened it and slammed it in his face again. After realizing it wasn't some terrible dream, I opened the door again to find him still standing there.

"Awake, are you?" he asked, green eyes roving over my rumpled appearance. He pressed his mouth in a line, clearly trying not to laugh at me as his eyes fell on my bedhead.

"What time is it?" I asked, squinting up at him. The lights in the hall behind him were a sharp contrast to my dark room.

"It's six-thirty," he replied, coming into the room as I moved aside. He crossed and flung open the curtains as I closed the door behind him, letting in the beginning of a sunrise. He was so  _awake_. I wanted to kill him.

"I need to get dressed," I said pointedly, planning to return to huddling underneath my covers as soon as he left, biting back my irritation. I was on  _vacation._

He gave me a slow smile. "You can get dressed in the bathroom, Alice. I'll wait."

I shot him a glare and unzipped my suitcase, pulling out a pair of dark-washed skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder striped blouse. With a huff, I disappeared into the bathroom to change. I was glad that I took a bath last night, so I didn't have to worry about taking one now. I pulled my brush through my hair while I was in there, parting it to the side, and pulling one side back with a bobby pin.

Kurama was still waiting for me when I came out of the bathroom, holding something in his hand. He smiled at me. "May I have your wrist, Alice?"

I warily held my arm out to him, wondering what he wanted. I finally saw that he had a bracelet in his hands. It was a pretty, yellow-gold, with stone red rose blossoms running along the chain. It was also giving off a very strong demonic aura, and that made me retract my wrist almost immediately. "What is  _that?_ " I asked, cringing.

"It is a sign to other demons that you have my protection," he said simply. "I feel that you may need it if you're in a crowd."

I shook my head. "I don't need it." Honestly, giving me a creepy bracelet as a sign of protection? No thanks. My proximity to it was making me nauseous.

"I beg to differ," he said, steel entering his polite tone. "It's very possible that if you get into an altercation with several demons, you could be easily overwhelmed. I would prefer to avoid that altercation entirely. Now, your wrist, please."

I grimaced, holding my arm out to him, knowing that he was right. "What if I lose it?" I could totally lose it! Yes!

"You can't," he replied, closing the clasp around my wrist and killing my dreams. "I'm the only one that can take it off. Also, it cannot slide off your hand, since it makes itself smaller. Now how does that feel?" he asked, turning the bracelet so the clasp rested against the inside of my wrist.

The demonic energy, while I knew it was Kurama's, was a thicker, more concentrated sort. It made me very uncomfortable, especially so close to my radial artery, and I found myself holding my arm away from my body. "I don't like it. Please take it off."

Kurama frowned at me. "It won't hurt you, Alice. It is merely a bracelet with my energy in it. And of course you know that I would never hurt you," he said, touching the bracelet against my skin.

I sighed, defeated, keeping my eyes on his hand touching my wrist.

"Let's go down to breakfast, shall we?" he said, taking his hand away and smoothly shoving it into his pocket. He seemed to realize he was touching me too much.

I nodded and slipped on my red ankle boots, swinging open the door to let us both out. We made our way to the elevator and rode to the lobby in silence. When the doors opened, he led me to the dining room where there was a breakfast buffet and the others waiting for us. After grabbing half of a grapefruit, I dropped down in the chair next to Kuwabara, while Kurama sat down on the other side of me, apparently not all that hungry.

"You should eat something," I told him.

"I don't have much of an appetite at the moment."

I shrugged and turned to Kuwabara who was eyeing my grapefruit like he'd heard it speak Latin. "I've never seen anyone eat one of those for breakfast before. Except on TV. Why don't you have an egg? Or cereal?"

"I don't eat eggs. They belong to chickens," I said, trying to keep any harshness out of my tone. "I like fruit for breakfast because there's a lot of sugar in it. Keeps me peppy." I gave him a dry smile.

He blinked. "No eggs?"

Hiei's red eyes snapped at Kuwabara. "That's what she just said, fool. Instead of repeating everything like a ridiculous macaw, why don't you try  _listening?_ "

I sighed, wondering why Hiei was so irritable. His stoplight eyes focused on me immediately following that thought, and I carefully turned my gaze down to my grapefruit, wondering what a girl had to do to get some sugar in this joint.

"I  _heard_  what she said, you stupid shrimp! I just wanted to know  _why_ ," Kuwabara retorted.

"I am of the notion," I said loudly, intending to break up the bickering, "that whatever animals produce belongs to them alone. Taking what is theirs is as good as stealing candy from a baby, or in some cases, like cows and calves, is  _actually_ stealing food from said baby and committing that baby to death for the veal industry or a life of torment and rape for the dairy industry."

Kuwabara frowned thoughtfully. "Oh."

Hiei pushed the sugar to me, and I avoided his gaze as I sprinkled sugar over my grapefruit.

"So, is that true?" Kuwabara asked, eyeing my pink cheeks. "About the babies?"

I nodded. "Cows don't just magically produce milk you know. They have to be pregnant like any other mammal, and on a farm they are artificially inseminated, pumped full of hormones so that they produce ten times the milk they're meant to, and then have to give birth - like  _a lot_ , way more often than they would naturally. Sometimes the calf is allowed to suckle for a day or so, but most of the time they're taken away from their mothers within a couple of hours. Then if the calf is a male, he'll be tied down by his neck so that he can't move around and gain muscle, while being fed a protein-deficient watery substance for a few months. Then he'll be slaughtered for his baby meat. If the calf is a female, she'll face the same fate as her mother and will probably die after about four to seven years of life. Cows can live up to fifteen years, normally, you know. It's pretty sad."

"That reminds me, Alice," Kurama said. "What is the Animal Liberation Front?"

I dug out a section of my grapefruit. "It's a grassroots organization dedicated to freeing animals held in captivity. Of course, there are  _rules_ , such as if you free a dangerous animal, like a lion for instance, you must take him to a sanctuary, or far out in the wilderness. You also can't cause harm to another person in the process of freeing the animals, but you are free to cause as much property damage as you want, to prevent the owners from being able to hold onto any more animals, so long as no one gets hurt. I had a tattoo you know."

"I remembered," Kurama said, smiling.

"A  _tattoo?_ " Kuwabara demanded. "What are you doing with a  _tattoo?_  You're a  _girl!_ A young one!"

I glanced at him, realizing my mistake. "I'm not that young. I don't want to get into that right now though. Anyway, I don't have it anymore."

He blinked at me. "Wha?"

"What did you do for that tattoo, Alice?" Kurama asked, changing the subject.

"Freed some animals on a fur farm. Do you realize there are literally  _no_  regulations on keeping animals for fur? They kill these creatures by electrocution, you know," I said angrily. "Not that anyone should be keeping these wild animals in the first place, but they cram them in tiny cages where they go bonkers, and sometimes they aren't even  _dead_  when they're skinned, because the setting on the electric probes are set too low. I saw this really horrible film about this fox in China, and I'm telling you, people are fucking sick."

Kuwabara set his fork down. "I'm full now."

"Alice! How nice it is to see you again!"

I looked up from my spot at the table to see Botan approaching me with a cheery smile. Kurama got out of his seat to offer it to her, but she waved him down. "The girls and I will eat in awhile, so don't worry about getting up. Atsuko is still asleep at the moment." Her eyes fell on a snoring Yusuke. "I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Who's all here, Botan?" I asked, feeling my anger smooth over and digging out another section of grapefruit with a sharp spoon.

"Hmm, let's see, Yusuke's mother - Atsuko, Keiko, Shizuru, and me. I believe Koenma-sama will be along later, before the first round." She smiled at me. "How are you holding up? Nervous at all? Worried?"

I knew she was trying to be kind, so I returned her smile. "I'm all right. Although, I'm not really the one you should be concerned about."

Her bubblegum eyes fell on my new bracelet. "Hmm, perhaps you're right." She didn't say anything about it though. "Would you like to leave with us? That way all of us girls can sit together?"

I nodded. "That sounds fine. Should I come back with you?"

"If you're finished eating," she said lightly.

I nodded and set my spoon on my plate and got to my feet, looking at Kuwabara, Yusuke, Hiei, Genkai, Kurama. The next time I would see them would be when they were in the arena. I frowned as the realization hit me. Kurama seemed to read the worry in my face and touched my arm, with a gentle smile.

"We'll be fine," he said lightly. "We'll see you later."

I glanced at Hiei and saw his gaze fall on the bracelet. His brow furrowed ever so slightly, and I turned to look back at Kurama and nodded.

Botan took my arm and tugged me away, leading me back toward the elevators. She chattered happily, but I wasn't really paying attention.

I was thinking about Hiei.

* * *


	17. Hardest of Hearts

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Seventeen: Hardest of Hearts**

* * *

A couple of hours later, I found myself biting my lip in horror as I watched the Rinku kid fly Kuwabara like a kite.

"Yusuke, get up you idiot!" Keiko yelled beside me, doe eyes bright with worry. She looked at me. "He should be able to do something, right?"

"I…I don't really know," I murmured, not taking my eyes off of Kuwabara as he drifted higher and higher. I heard Shizuru sigh on the other side of me, and I wondered what she was thinking, but I was too afraid to look away.

"Kuwabara!" Atsuko shouted, putting her fist in the air, practically climbing on the back of Koenma's seat. "Have some guts!"

All of the sudden, Kuwabara dropped out of the air, and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

"He's falling!" Koto exclaimed in her microphone. "Is this the final blow?"

But Kuwabara's brilliant sunshine sword shot out of his hands, jamming into the arena's floor so hard that concrete crumbled around it. The sword bent backward with his weight and he shot forward at Rinku like a bullet. I couldn't see Rinku's expression because he faced away from me, but yo-yos flew out of his hands, and headed straight for Kuwabara. Kuwabara's sword zigzagged around the strings though, and stabbed a surprised Rinku, while the yo-yos nailed Kuwabara in the face.

They effectively knocked each other out of the ring, and Koto called the match a tie.

I glanced at Shizuru, who looked a combination of disappointed and relieved.

But then Rinku hauled himself back into the ring, holding his stomach where Kuwabara's sword stabbed him. Kuwabara started to get up to get back in the ring too, but Rinku's yo-yos (which were all wrapped around him) tripped him up as Koto hit a loud and final, " _Ten!_ "

I let out a sigh. Rinku had won, but I was glad that Kuwabara was safe. There was still a chance to win this round.

"Oh, my," Botan murmured on the other side of Atsuko as the crowd cheered. "Kuwabara isn't happy."

I looked down and saw she was right. Kuwabara was red-faced and yelling at Rinku. Rinku seemed surprised and uncertain. He hopped out of the ring though, and Kuwabara calmed down after a moment. The next guy on the other team stepped into the ring, with a bit of a saunter. I couldn't see his features from so far away, but he gave off the feeling of a creep.

Kurama stepped forward and I frowned, feeling certain that he could take care of this guy easily, but I still felt nervous for him.

"He isn't normal," Shizuru said beside me. "Kurama, I mean."

"You think so?" Keiko asked.

Then of course, they both looked at me.

I coughed and turned to face the match, pretending ignorance. I didn't really feel like explaining what Kurama was. I figured just letting them think that he was some sort of magical guy would be fine, since it wasn't my business to explain any sort of demonic origins he may or may not have.

Kurama's opponent, Roto, grew a scythe-thing out of his arm (which was entirely disturbing) and started swinging it at Kurama. He dodged all of Roto's swipes easily, and I began to think that Roto wasn't exactly the strongest on his team. Kurama suddenly appeared behind him, arm raised like he was about to knock him out with the side of his hand, but then he froze - spooked by something. Kurama suddenly jumped away from Roto, a cold expression on his face.

My heart missed a beat. "What do you think is going on?" I asked. "He had a clear shot."

No one was able to answer me, of course. I tried to remember something,  _anything_  about this fight from the series, but I kept drawing blanks. My eyes fell on Hiei's dark figure by the ring, and I wondered if he knew what was going on.

I'm not a telepath by any means. I'm good at reading people, and I can practically tell you what'll come out of someone's mouth at any given time because people are just that predictable, but I am not  _that_ kind of psychic. But I figured that if Sitka was right about Hiei, he might be paying attention to my mind. Not that I particularly wanted Sitka to be right, but that was a whole other can of worms.

 _Hiei,_  I tried, focusing on his back.

I heard his sharp voice almost immediately. He had been paying attention after all.

" _I'm busy,"_  he said.  _"Kurama's opponent has someone keeping tabs on his mother in the human world."_

I swallowed.  _Is she in danger?_

I couldn't see his expression, but I got the feeling of annoyance from him.  _"Do you really underestimate our capabilities that much? His accomplice is so weak the_ fool _could beat him with one wild swing of his fist."_ Hiei sensed my sheepishness, and I felt his irritation abate. _"The dog is guarding her."_

With that, I sensed him close himself off to me, and I was alone in my head again.

I turned my gaze from Hiei to Kurama, just in time to see Roto slam his fist into Kurama's face. I winced as his head turned with the force of the blow, and watched Roto stop and stand back, laughing with triumph. He pointed at Kurama, yelling something, but that was when I noticed Roto was holding something in his other hand. I frowned, wondering what it was. It seemed like it was some sort of… _device_. It almost reminded me of a remote control, but it was so foreign, I couldn't be sure that was what it was.

Kurama stood still with his hands clasped behind his back. He radiated a cold fury, and I felt the bracelet grow warm in response to his energy. I frowned down at it and tried to push it off my hand, even though I knew it was pointless. Stupid thing.

Roto stepped forward, leaning into Kurama's face, smirking while he said something. He laughed and kicked Kurama in the chest, and I felt myself grow furious. My blood pressure only went up higher as Roto hit him in the face and manifested his scythe again, drawing the tip across Kurama's cheek. I could feel my face flush with rage, and my hands clenched into fists as I restrained myself from interfering with the match. Roto would be so  _dead_ , if I could just  _get_  him.

A cool hand laid on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Shizuru's calm face. "Relax. I have a feeling he's about to stop being so easy-going."

Shizuru was right, of course. Roto had been standing on one leg, holding up his left foot for some odd reason, and then he suddenly stopped as Kurama said something that seemed to surprise him. Kurama brushed himself off, and relaxed his stance, giving Roto an expectant look. Roto looked gleeful, holding out his hand with the device in it, and suddenly froze in a weird arms-wide-open position. His mouth worked open and closed as Kurama crossed the space between them and snatched the device out of his hand.

Kurama said something and Roto seemed to beg for a moment. Kurama turned away, dismissive, still giving off that icy air, and then plant-life - leaves, tendrils, and flowers alike - exploded from Roto's skin. The demon fell to the ground, twitching as the plants sucked up his blood for sustenance, while growing even taller.

I blinked. "Well, then."

Shizuru's eyebrows shot up and Keiko gasped, covering her mouth.

Kurama stepped off the platform, turning to Hiei, murmuring something to him as he glanced up in the stands at me. He raised his eyebrows at my uncertain expression and I shrugged at him. I didn't like killing, but I had thought about crippling Roto myself, so I really couldn't hold it against Kurama. I was just glad that Kurama made it out okay - even if he was a little banged up.

The next guy stepped on the platform and gave Hiei an expectant look. Hiei smirked and tossed his scarf aside.

Shizuru frowned beside me. "He's even worse than Kurama."

Botan laughed nervously for some reason. "Oh, Shizuru!" After a moment I remembered that Botan was actually a bit afraid of Hiei ever since the Yukina case. Something about him worried about her telling the secret or something. I couldn't quite remember the details.

I pulled at the bracelet on my wrist as Koto shouted, "Let's go!"

As soon as Koto said that, Hiei's opponent burst into flames. Or rather, the air  _around_  him burst into flames. Koto backed away, protecting her face, while Hiei stood still, unaffected by his opponent's display of power.

The guy crouched into some sort of stance, hands enveloped in orange fire, and smirked at Hiei. He said something, probably to goad him, but it didn't work. Hiei wasn't the type to be goaded unless it was Kurama, who was a very good goader. All of the sudden, the guy leapt forward and his hand stabbed into Hiei's torso, spreading the fire and sending Hiei up and back into the air. More fire flew out of the guy's hand, following Hiei's trajectory. The flames surrounded Hiei's limp form as he crashed into the platform.

I bit my lip, worried.

The opponent looked amused, but it didn't last long because Hiei suddenly appeared behind him, body still encased in fire. Even from high up in the stands, I could see his purple Jagan glowing evilly. Shizuru gave a shudder beside me at Hiei's growing demonic aura. Hiei held up his fist and the air around it darkened and swirled before bursting into black flames. A small, smoky dragon circled his body as he gave his opponent a malicious look.

Koto leapt off the platform. "It's too dangerous! Excuse me, but I have to get myself to safety."

Hiei's hand shot out, and the black flames grew bigger and another, larger, dragon flew out of the flames toward Hiei's opponent. The dragon's aura felt ten times worse than the aura bound to my bracelet. I squeezed my eyes shut and huddled into myself, repulsed by the pure demonic energy of the dragon. I could tell that it wasn't just some energy from the Makai. The dragon that Hiei wielded was an entity unto itself, and somehow Hiei had made a contract with it.

Now, because I was trying to get to my happy place and ignore the dragon's energy, I missed the end of the attack.

"Uhh…" I heard Koto say. I looked up and saw the remains of Hiei's opponent scorched onto the opposite wall of the stands. "I think it's useless to do a countdown," she finished. "The winner…is  _Hiei!_ "

The crowd responded with boos and heckling.

Hiei ignored them and shoved his hands in his pockets. I noticed that at some point during his fight his tunic had burned up and disappeared, leaving his torso bared. His olive skin was reddened in some places, particularly his right arm, but otherwise his skin was clear. And then I realized that I had been staring at him for a beat too long when Shizuru shifted beside me. I snapped my gaze away from Hiei's whipcord muscled frame and observed a passing cloud instead. Admittedly, it was hard not to ogle Hiei. He was attractive.

The crowd suddenly made a noise of surprise and a familiar-looking tall guy appeared on the platform beside Koto. I recognized his mohawk and swagger - it was Chuu. I frowned, trying to remember what happened next, but then realized I didn't have to. Yusuke woke up and got to his feet, eyeing Chuu with a critical expression.

"That idiot has finally woken up," Keiko muttered.

Yusuke stepped into the arena, hands on his hips as he sized Chuu up. The audience started up a resounding chant of, " _Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!_ " I turned to Keiko and saw she looked very worried. She was biting her lip and her big eyes wouldn't move from Yusuke.

"Do you…think he'll be all right?" she asked us.

Botan was quick to reassure her. "Of course he will be, Keiko! I've been minding his training you know!" She gave Keiko a very bright grin that was distractingly cat-like.

Shizuru and I nodded in agreement. "He's really strong, Keiko," I said about Yusuke, but still feeling a bit nervous myself. If I remembered correctly, Chuu was one of the good guys. Or would be anyway.

A hand suddenly went to my wrist, and I looked up to see Shizuru frowning at me. "You're going to break that thing. Your wrist is red from pulling at it."

I frowned and realized she was talking about the bracelet. She was right too - my wrist was sore and inflamed. I hadn't even realized that I had been twisting it around in my other hand. I think I was even subconsciously trying to get the stupid thing off my arm. I should have never let Kurama put it on my wrist - sign of protection or not, the thing was evil. I imagined that the energy it contained was that of Youko Kurama, and not the current watered-down version of himself. I really hoped I never ran into Kurama's full demon form, because I was guessing that his energy would be like something out of a horror movie.

"Why are you wearing it?" Shizuru asked, jolting me from my thoughts. She glanced down at Kurama. "It's his, right? I can sense his energy in it."

I wrinkled my nose and told her how he had coerced me into putting it on.

She lit a cigarette thoughtfully. "It sounds like he's toying with you, doesn't it? I don't think he's doing it intentionally though. He really does seem to care about you, but just not like you had hoped," she said, exhaling.

"I'm just tired of it, Shizuru," I told her. "I don't even want to talk about it."

"Mm." She respected my wishes and changed the subject. "So who's this Sakurai Naoto guy?" she asked with a slightly wicked expression.

"How do you know about him?"

She motioned down at the arena. "My baby brother, of course."

"Oh, right," I said, looking down. I saw Yusuke and Chuu swinging at each other, and I realized we'd missed the beginning of the fight. Shizuru seemed more interested in Naoto though, so I ignored them for the moment. "Sakurai Naoto is someone I met on the ferry on the way over. He's the son of one of the organizers, so he invited me to this ball they were having. His friend, Kyoko, dressed me up. He goes to Sato and he's in the acting division."

Shizuru raised her eyebrows. "So is he cute or what?"

I shrugged. "I think he's interested in me, but I don't feel the same way about him. He's a nice boy though."

She gave me a knowing smile. "And you don't want a boy."

"Exactly." That would be weird.

She took a pull from her cigarette. "So what  _do_  you look for in a guy?" she asked.

That was a difficult question for me. I've dated different types of guys, but I've never been able to figure out what drew me to them. My first boyfriend was someone that was difficult to love. He was the type of guy that you had to walk on eggshells around, which I turned out to be surprisingly good at, but it came to a point where I didn't want to do it anymore. He was my first everything, so I never really realized how selfish he was - especially in bed.

My second boyfriend changed that for me. He was attentive and loving and smiley, but we were completely different people. His very religious parents never liked me either, and that put a big strain on our relationship. We lasted about five months.

My third boyfriend was a cheating son of a bitch that slept with his ex-girlfriend. I slashed all four of his tires one night in the parking lot of a bar in Austin, and found out later that he was mugged while waiting for AAA. I'm still glad I did it too. That asshole had it coming to him in spades.

My fourth boyfriend was a broke college student that took me out to picnics in the park. He was incredibly sweet and wonderful, but our relationship went stale after a year. I think we just got tired of one another. Ours was a mutual parting of ways.

I shrugged at Shizuru. "I'm not really sure. I guess I don't have any particulars in mind. What about you?"

She snuffed out her cigarette. "Rich," she said plainly. "And with a good heart."

I tried not to smile, unsure if she was being serious or not. Shizuru was hard to read sometimes.

A bright light and an explosion of rubble snapped our attention back to the fight. After a second, I figured out that Yusuke had shot his spirit gun at the stadium's wall across from us. He stood in front of Chuu, arm out into the air, still pointing at the part of wall he'd just destroyed.

"Urameshi is incredibly naïve! He's just revealed his secret weapon! Never before seen in the Tournament!" Koto cried into her microphone.

Chuu's great mouth opened wide and his body shook with laughter before he stumbled a bit. I had forgotten that he was a drunk. He took a drink of something out of a tiny flask that was mostly hidden in his huge hand, and then gave a belch so loud it could be heard up in the stands. Koto looked mildly horrified.

Chuu's aura seemed to grow stronger and stranger, and suddenly there was a ball of crackling energy in his hands.

Suddenly they darted down the platform together, and Chuu hurled his ball of energy at Yusuke while Yusuke shot his spirit gun at Chuu. Their energies collided and exploded. They ran after the explosion, met in the middle, and started beating each other in the faces. Yusuke was knocked back and Chuu took advantage, growing another huge sphere of energy between his hands the size of a beach ball. He punched it toward the fallen Yusuke.

I could see Yusuke's brow furrow for a second while Keiko gasped beside me. Yusuke came through of course, and shot his spirit gun in two quick bursts. However, the double-strike didn't stop the ball, but instead the shots went right through it - heading toward Chuu. The attacks hit their targets at the exact same time, and Koto spent an amusing second trying to find Yusuke and Chuu in the aftermath. They were behind her, scratched and burned and beat up looking, where she couldn't see them right away.

It seemed like they were laughing at each other, and then Chuu held up two knives.

I remembered this scene. Basically what happens is Chuu drives the two knives into the platform, they put their heels against the blades, and punch each other senseless. I wasn't the least bit interested in watching. Bloody feet freak me out.

Instead, I started a daydream about going to Sato and becoming an actress. I liked acting - what little of it I'd done - so it would be something interesting to do at least. If it didn't work out, I could always teach English. It pays to be bilingual.

While my head was in the clouds, Koto called Yusuke's win. Keiko, Botan, and Atsuko cheered loudly, hurting my ears, while our fellow audience members booed and yelled angrily down at the arena. I sunk lower into my seat and exchanged looks with Shizuru. She shrugged and finally passed me a cigarette. Stingy bitch.

While I lit the cigarette with Shizuru's borrowed lighter, Yusuke finally lost his temper with the crowd and yelled for them to shut the hell up. Most of the audience was taken aback, surprised that the human sacrifice would protest their treatment of him. The whole team glared up into the stands - Kurama looking cold, Hiei's eyes flashing with warning, Kuwabara looking surly, and furious Yusuke glowering with all the ferocity of the sun. I felt singed.

I inhaled, and so did my alveoli.

" _Come on you delicate things!_ " Yusuke roared. " _We want to mess up your faces!_ "

No one took him up on his challenge.

* * *

Kurama's eyes narrow on the red marks on my wrist when we meet them after their fight. We're in a private locker room beneath the arena, and he takes me aside while Botan, Koenma, and Atsuko relive the match with Yusuke and Kuwabara. Shizuru stays a few feet away from me, and I feel a little protected. Not that Kurama scares me, but he has a tendency to overreact. Shizuru will act as a bit of a buffer to his …Kuramaness.

"It's bothering me," I tell him plainly, holding my arm out to him. "Just take the stupid thing off please. I'm not used to this energy either, and it isn't helping."

Kurama's hard look turns surprisingly gentle. "Yes, well, I suppose I underestimated the affect that Youko's energy would have on you. But you still haven't had it on for very long, and yet, it kept you safe in the crowd."

"I didn't realize I was in such great danger," I say drily.

Kurama exchanges a glance with Hiei, who is standing away from the commotion, right hand flexing into a fist and back. Kurama turns a weighted, green gaze back to me. "You're in plenty of it, Alice. Your ties to me put you in danger most significantly. You heard about Mother during my fight, didn't you?" His eyelids lower, casting a shadow over his expression. "It could be you next."

I scowl at the stupid bracelet, feeling Youko's dangerous aura twist around my arm, sending my senses into a nervous frenzy. "Then I don't understand the point of the bracelet. They already know my ties to you. Why does it matter if I'm wearing this or not? All it seems to be doing is painting a big red target on me."

Kurama sighs heavily. "You don't understand demons, Alice. It's all about a display of power. Any demon who wishes to challenge that may, but it's worthless if he or she doesn't take it up with me directly. In addition to that, the bracelet triples as a tracer, and a device that transmits your status to me." He taps his temple with his index finger. "If you are lost, I will find you. If you're in danger, I can save you."

My, my, Prince Charming, isn't he?

My sarcastic thoughts fight down the swoop of my stomach as I remind myself how much he's hurt me. Shizuru surreptitiously glances at me, checking to make sure that I haven't spun off into a world with rainbows and ponies and Kuramas in shining armor. I feel my expression harden, but I force kindness into my tone as I change the subject and suggest he cleans up the mess Roto made of his cheek. I would offer to do that for him, but I'm still hovering between throwing myself at him and attempting to kill him.

He goes to the sink and mirror in the corner of the room and I turn back to Shizuru who hands me another cigarette. I make a mental note to find a cigarette machine on the island and get my own pack. I'll need the nicotine - the deep-breathing calm that comes with smoking - to make it through the rest of our time here. I probably should have just stayed home with Sitka. But I like the action too, occasionally.

Botan is patching up Yusuke and Kuwabara, who are the most beaten up - except for Hiei's arm. He stands casually, hands shoved in his pocket, like he was waiting for a bus. He's in pain though. His bored expression doesn't show it, but he holds his arm stiffly enough for me to notice. I can't help him though. I don't know anything about healing, except what little I know about pharmaceuticals. That won't help Hiei, of course. Maybe Kurama could do something for him.

If you're wondering where Keiko is, she said she wasn't ready to see Yusuke yet, and she ran off before we could stop her. I have no idea why. Far be it from me to assume what's in a fourteen-year-old girl's heart, since it's been years that I've known what it's like to be fourteen. Well, sort of. I'm not too concerned about her though, since Botan doesn't seem that worried. Just in case you're thinking that I'm a horrible person or something.

Eventually, Shizuru and I decide to leave, intending to head back to the hotel to get something to eat. Motor oil would be delicious right now.

Botan and Atsuko decide to follow us and we leave the boys behind, supposing they'll catch up at some point. There's another fight going on, and they'll probably want to catch it and check out their next opponents. Botan and Atsuko are very chatty on the way back to the hotel - so much so that Shizuru and I don't have to say a word the entire way. I'm not in the mood to talk, and Shizuru seems distracted. I think there's a guy involved. I seem to remember something about her and Sakyo running into each other. I don't ask her about it though - she'll bring it up if she wants to talk about it.

We get to the hotel in fifteen minutes, at half-past twelve. Botan uses the lobby phone to call Keiko to meet us down in the dining room. I notice they keep the buffet table from breakfast when we get in there, although the food is all different. Looking around at the high arches of the dining room, the elaborate tableclothes, the crisp waiters, and the obviously wealthy guests, I am reminded of  _Fight Club_. I wonder if the food is clean before losing my appetite completely. Tyler Durden could have peed in the tomato soup.

I worry about strange things when I'm upset.

Eventually, I'm picking at a black bean salad and a side of rice. The other girls have their assorted omnivorous lunches that I don't examine, and I wonder if the boys will come back to the hotel and eat at all. They don't during the time that we're there, luckily for Keiko, who keeps watching the entrance like a hawk. I don't see Kyoko or Naoto either, and turn my attention back to Atsuko who's telling us about her days in middle school as a Yankee. Or Yanki.

Atsuko is an interesting woman. She's fiery and passionate and thrives on fighting. I could easily see the Mazuko gene coming from her, but neither the anime or manga confirmed it to my knowledge. She talks about her childhood and her job as a hostess, letting us into the dark side of the night. Her face is bright and animated, and I notice that Yusuke has her nose.

We sit in the dining room until dinner, but the boys still don't come back. So we head up to the room that Keiko and Botan are sharing, stopping at a vending machine to pick up some beer, which is cheaper than room service, and begin our night of debauchery. Keiko doesn't drink, though, which is perfectly fine with me as fourteen-year-olds shouldn't be drinking. I begin to realize that Keiko is very lady-like. Or something. I think even her name means "obedient", but I don't ask because I'm becoming quite sloshed. The part of me that stands outside of myself when I'm drunk tells me that I'll probably make fun of her and hurt her feelings if I ask.

As a hostess, Atsuko can hold her alcohol quite well, but she's been drinking nearly the whole day since we watched Kuwabara's fight, so she becomes incoherent enough eventually. I try to pace myself, keeping my rule of having only two drinks and then slightly sober up. But Atsuko pops open another can of beer and passes it to me, so I'm stuck drinking three - which isn't good for my sobering-up plan. I start getting tunnel-vision and saying weird things.

Shizuru tells me that I'm speaking English, and not very well either. I open another can for her like Atsuko did for me, and make her drink it too.

Botan sings when she's drunk. Loudly. I wonder aloud if there's a karaoke place on the island, and Botan sings a long  _yes_ , so we decide that we should go find it. Keiko looks worriedly at the walls and agrees, probably thinking of the neighbors. So we all pull on our shoes and head out the door, taking the elevator down to the bottom floor. Keiko asks the clerk in the lobby for directions and he directs us to a building about a block away.

The karaoke bar is covered with bright, blinking signs and music trickles out of the open doors. An attendent waves us in, gives us mikes, and directs us to a room. Botan fiddles with the karaoke machine and the attendent asks if he can bring us anything. Atsuko asks for beer, while Shizuru and I nod seriously, trying to look as sober and as twenty-years-old as possible. He merely nods and leaves the room and I think we find a good puppet to do our bidding.

Botan finds a song that she likes - one by Hamasaki Ayumi, and starts singing. She has a good voice, but she holds it high and thin, like Ayumi does. Botan waves me over when the music stops because she wants me to sing an English song, but the attendant comes back with a pitcher of beer, so she has to wait. Keiko takes a turn though, singing a song I have never heard by a new idol that I have also never heard of.

Botan gets a bit violent with me when Keiko is done, so I comply with her wishes and search for a song that I can work with. They don't have Brandi Carlile, sadly, but they did have Lady Gaga. I sing "Bad Romance" and "Americano" and sit down before Botan can make me do anything else. The beer is making my body full and heavy.

Botan claims that since part of "Americano" in Spanish, I have to do another song. I tell her she should be happy that I even knew some Spanish. She scowls at that, but tells me that she'll pick the next song for me and that I have a pretty voice. I hug her and tug affectionately on her ponytail.

Atsuko sings a song from a kids' anime that Yusuke watched when he was little - one that Keiko apparently watched with him, because her eyes began to shine with unshed tears of nostalgia. Shizuru laughs when she remembers Kuwabara dressing up like the main character, and I pour myself another beer, uninvolved because I never watched this anime.

Botan asks me how Florence + The Machine sounds and I crow a yes. I sing "Blinding" with gusto, because it's one of my favorite songs. But after I finish I get really tired and lay down on the couch and pass out.

I have had too much to drink, and my throat is dry and I have a headache, but I know nothing anymore. I am dead to the world. If the girls try to wake me up, I don't know it. If God tried to wake me up, I wouldn't know it.

Kurama wakes me up though. His arms are wrapped around me and my face is buried in his neck. My arms hang down his back as he carries me back to the hotel. My coat isn't on me properly, like someone just set it over my shoulders, but Kurama's arm keeps it from slipping. I can hear his voice rumble in his chest, in his throat, as he talks to someone. His voice is low, quiet, but has a hard edge to it. I realize that he's upset. I feel my arm lift, skimming his back, and my fingers curl around the back of his neck in a placating gesture. His arms tighten around me in response, and I slip back into dream world.

When I wake up again, I am in my bed and so is Kurama. He sits against the headboard, propped up on two pillows, face turned to the ceiling. He's asleep, as I can tell by his even breathing. My body is curled around him, face pressed into his thigh.

 _How did this happen?_  I wonder. I sit up and realize his hand is tangled in my hair. I try to dislodge his fingers without waking him up, but it's useless. He wakes up as soon as I move to sit up.

He stiffens as he gathers his surroundings, and realizes that he's not in danger. "It's just me," I tell him. "You're pulling my hair."

He makes an affirmative sound in his chest, and pulls his hand out of my blonde bird's nest. He straightens up, fully awake, and turns to look at the red clock on the nightstand next to him. It's seven-thirty-two. There isn't much light in the room at this point - only what little comes through the crack of the curtains that are drawn shut, and I watch him get to his feet. He turns to me, looking me over. "How do you feel?"

"Hungover," I say plainly. "What happened last night?"

His eyes flit to the side, as if wondering what all he should tell me. "Botan called and said they needed help getting you back to the hotel. You passed out, so I carried you back."

"I remember that part," I say, rubbing a kink in my shoulder. "You sounded angry at someone."

"They let you drink too much," he says simply, running his fingers through his red hair. "When I got you back here, you refused to let go of me, so I ended up sleeping next to you."

My body goes rigid and my hand freezes in the air. "Oh," I mutter. And then I feel like I'm a thousand miles away in a mountain temple somewhere banging my head against the stone floor. I tell myself it could be worse. I could have tried to shove my tongue down his throat. I roll out of bed and turn to the bathroom. "Sorry about that. You should go back to your room now." My voice sounds odd and disjointed.

Kurama disappears through the door, giving me a lingering look. I don't return it, but I feel his eyes on me.

When he leaves, I slam the bathroom door behind me and wash my face with ice cold water. I determine that I need a boyfriend. After all, the best way to get over a man is to get under another one. I need someone who can take my mind off Kurama. I need someone to make me feel alive again.

Shizuru agrees with me when I tell her all of this, and then she tells me about Sakyo. She's swayed by his cool demeanor, his dashing scar, his sharp tongue. She's only met him a couple of times, but he's all she ever thinks about. He's invaded her dreams like the angel of death. She wants to meet him again.

I live vicariously through her and tell her I will make it happen. I know that Sakyo is not a good man. I know he's a horrible person, but Shizuru wants him, and she'll get him if I have anything to say about it. At least until he dies, anyway.

"When do you plan on making this happen?" she asks. She is doubtful.

I tell her as soon as possible.


	18. Trouble

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Eighteen: Trouble**

* * *

_No attorneys,_

_To plead my case,_

_No orbits,_

_To send me into outer space,_

_And my fingers,_

_Are bejeweled,_

_With diamonds and gold,_

_But that ain't gonna help me now._

_-Pink_

* * *

I miss the next round of the Tournament. I forget the way to the stadium, and end up somewhere in the recesses of the island's forest. I suppose, tugging on Kurama's bracelet, it isn't the worst thing to happen. I don't really like a lot of fighting, and I think I want to avoid Kurama as much as possible. Remembering waking up, with him next to me, is something that makes me cringe and kick a nearby tree.

A squirrel chatters an insult at me from a high branch.

I continue my walk through the forest, still absolutely clueless as to where I am, enjoying the crisp air and trying not to think about the fight. The sun is shining brightly through the trees, and I think it's about noon. The ground crunches underneath my red ankle boots, and I'm surprised that I haven't seen any demons yet. I guess most of them are at the stadium.

I inhale and realize that the air smells a bit salty. I had been smelling nothing but pine for the last while, but I think I can smell the sea now. I must be coming close to a beach.

The trees are thinning as I walk, giving way to a rocky terrain, with angry, sharp grasses sticking up from the earth. I hear the ocean before I see it - the rhythmic rolling and crashing of waves. Once I move out of the forest and a little ways past, I can see a short beach, with golden yellow sand. Green-gray brush interrupts the small beach here and there, and I see a few shells glittering like jewels in the sun.

Even though the air is still chilly, the sun is very warm, and I find myself feeling a bit drowsy. I inspect the beach, but I don't see anything sharp, so I have a seat and watch the waves. The sea plays a game of tag with the land, rushing in and rushing out, dumping seaweed on the land as a prize for catching it. Farther out, I can see schools of silver fish caught in the green waves.

I fall onto my back, like a starfish, letting the sun warm me.

"Alice."

I open my eyes and see my mom smiling down at me. Her blue eyes, her high cheekbones, her blonde hair all stand out to me at once and I'm dazzled. "Mama?"

She holds her arms out to me and I leap in them. "Honey, I've missed you so much!" she exclaims, squeezing me tightly. I feel like I'm five years old again, and burst into tears. She trembles underneath me, and I realize she's crying too. "Nothing has been the same without you," she cries. "We all miss you so much."

"I miss you too, Mom. I miss everyone," I say into her neck.

She holds me a moment more and then pulls back to look at me. Pushing my hair out of my face, she smiles. "You look good, sweetheart. They been taking care of you here?"

I nod. "Shiori-san is great," I tell her, smiling. "I'm doing really well in school now."

She cups my cheek. "That's my girl. You were always so smart. How's everything else?"

"It's fine." I take her hand. "What about there? How's home?"

She gives a laugh. "We're plucking along as best we can. Your sisters are doing all right. I think Ann took your death the hardest though. She doesn't know how to be the oldest now…she's so used to being the middle baby. She'll get it figured out though. All my girls are smart."

"Yeah," I say, and my mom's eyes narrow at me. "I mean - yes, ma'am."

She smiles.

"How're Dad and Catherine? Are they doing all right?"

My mom scratches her head. "Well, soon as we heard what happened, your daddy went out for revenge, but the damn fool that shot you did himself in as soon as he heard the police sirens. So, your daddy never quite got the closure he wanted, but I expect hearing about this here will settle him down some. And as for Cathy, well, honey, she's so young she doesn't know what to think. All she knows to do is cry."

I sigh. "I'm sorry, Mama. If I'd been faster, he wouldn't have gotten through my door."

She shakes her head. "That's all done with now honey, and it ain't even your fault. If parents raised their children right, the world might be a better place, but even with all that - I still think it's all right." She turns her face up to the sun. "The beach is my favorite place. The Gulf is all right, but do you remember that trip we took to Florida? Those white, sandy beaches? Water as blue and clear as our eyes."

I nod. "I remember. I think everyone mistook you for a lobster though," I teased.

She elbows me, and we sunbath for a bit longer. A cloud passes over the sun after awhile, and we open our eyes.

"Storm's coming," Mama says.

I see clouds gathering in the distance. "Looks like it."

She turns to me and presses a kiss to my cheek. "Better wake up now, honey. I don't want you to get wet."

I'm jolted awake by the sky dumping buckets of water on me. The world is gray, the ocean steel-colored and rough, and rain is coming down is fast fat drops. I shiver at the freezing cold and race back toward the trees, wet hair sticking to my face. The forest canopy doesn't do much against the rain, but I stubbornly force myself onward. I have to find my way back to the hotel.

I walk back the way I think I came, but I already know it's hopeless. I'm completely lost. I shiver harder, and I know I need to find some shelter.

If I'm lucky, maybe I can find a shrine or something. I don't remember seeing any anywhere though. I don't remember anything that looked like good shelter.

After what I feel has been about an hour, I get tired. The rain hasn't let up at all, I'm still freezing, my fingers and toes are numb, and I'm  _starving_  because I haven't eaten at all today. I sit under a tree, hug my knees to my chest, and shiver my little heart out. I decide to wait until a demon comes a long to eat me, and then I can threaten him into showing me back to the hotel.

No one comes though.

And the rain doesn't let up.

I wonder how it's possible for me to be all alone in this forest, but I can't pick up a single demon on my radar. I can't hear any approaching humans over the pounding rain, the thunder, the chattering of the forest animals. I curl my hands into my chest and breathe on them, trying to warm them up.

I notice Kurama's bracelet on my wrist. Doesn't he notice me missing? Or is he so injured that he can't come? Or …is he dead…?

I practically bite my lip off at that thought.

I turn my thoughts away from him and think of my mom. I don't normally put a lot of stock in dreams, but I think there's a reason I dreamed about her. I could have had that dream ages ago, back when I first came to this world, but why now?

" _Storm's coming."_

Somehow, it seems like a warning.

* * *

I think I'm in a half-dreaming state when Hiei's energy comes racing across my mind. I feel like I'm in limbo. I don't even feel the rain or cold anymore.

He drops down in front of me, and I force my face up to look at him. My neck is stiff from sitting in a ball for God-knows-how-long. He crouches in front of me, and I can feel warmth rolling off of him like morning fog, and it envelopes me. His hands seem hotter than usual as they cup my face to look at me properly.

"You're freezing," he frowns.

My hands twitch toward him, moving slowly, difficultly, before gripping the front of his cloak. "I-I got l-l-lost."

Hiei doesn't wait for me to try to get to my feet. Instead, he pulls me against him, and we're suddenly flying through the air at mach speed. "No one noticed you were missing until awhile ago. Kurama is still recovering from his fights, so I came for you. Have you been in the rain this entire time?" His flat, dry voice is soothing somehow.

I nod against his neck, fighting my spastic shivering against him. I lose, and his grip around me tightens. "I-I tried t-t-to f-find my w-way b-back, but -"

"Stop talking," he snaps. "You're wasting your energy. I can already figure out what happened. A human girl wandering around an island full of demons - while it's  _raining_  in  _winter_  - are you an idiot? You're not even wearing a heavy coat."

"S-s-sorry."

He lifts his chin and presses my face against his hot neck, creating a little pocket of warmth for me there. "Didn't I tell you to stop talking?" he mutters in my ear. "We're almost there."

I feel a swoop in my stomach as Hiei lands on the wet ground, the feeling of warmth as he walks into the hotel. I have my eyes closed, but I can hear curious murmurs from people in the lobby. His arms shift around me, and I hear the ding of the elevator button as he presses it. Luckily, the elevator comes quickly, and we race up the floors.

"I'm taking you to Kurama," Hiei says. "If you're hypothermic, he can take care of you."

"But you're the f-fire demon," I say.

I can feel his jaw clench. "He'll want to see you. Don't argue."

The elevator dings and the doors slide open, and Hiei's on the move again, and we stop at the door. It swings open before Hiei can even move to turn the knob, and I hear a gasp.

"Oh, Alice!" Botan exclaims. I feel her hand on mine. "She's freezing!"

"She's been in the rain ever since it started," Hiei says flatly to Botan. I think he mostly offers this information for Kurama's benefit though.

"My god, it's been raining for four hours!"

"Is she conscious, Hiei?" I hear Kurama ask over my head.

"Yes."

I feel his hand on my hair. "Definite hypothermia," he murmurs. "Alice can you look at me? I know you're tired, but do your best. Come on."

I force my eyes open. Picking my head up is more difficult, but I eventually get my face away from Hiei's nice, warm neck and manage to look up at Kurama from under my eyelids. His face is bruised and sporting a few bandages, I note blearily, before falling back onto Hiei's shoulder.

I hear Kurama begin to give orders. "Botan, please go down to Alice's room and get her warmest clothes. She has some warm pajamas that she probably brought with her - they're purple flannel and probably thrown on her bed." I hear Botan leave. "Atsuko and Shizuru, please take her in the bathroom and get her out of those wet clothes. Keiko, there's a blow-dryer in there, in the linen closet, please dry her hair thoroughly."

I feel myself being taken out of Hiei's arms by two sets of other arms, and almost shriek with the pain of being cold again. Hiei's warmth had thawed out my numbed nerves and now the cold is assaulting them. I think my pain is showing on my face, because I hear Kurama telling them to hurry and then ordering Hiei to change.

Keiko shuts the door behind us, and Atsuko and Shizuru rip off my jacket, shoes, socks, shirt, jeans, and undergarments. They immediately wrap me in a warm towel, and then another warm towel over my shoulders. I close my eyes again, and they steady me on the side of the tub. I hear Keiko plugging in the blow-dryer and then switching it on.

A blast of hot air hits me, and I feel Keiko's fingers yank through my hair. I open my eyes again as someone clasps my hands, and I see Shizuru frowning at my feet.

"I thought you were in your room," she says. She looks away, and I can tell she's very upset. "I didn't know."

I squeeze her hands back to the best of my ability, and give her a wan smile. I feel my eyes close again, sleep dragging me down.

"She's about to pass out," I hear Keiko say, cutting the blow-dryer. "I've gotten what I can dry -"

" _All_  of it, Keiko," I hear Kurama say on the other side of the bathroom door. "Lay her on the floor if you have to, it's fine if she sleeps."

"I-I can st-stay up," I force out.

"Is she still shivering?" he asks.

"Yes," Shizuru says. "We've got her wrapped up if you want to come in."

The door swings open and Keiko turns the blow-dryer back on, focusing on the ends of my hair.

I hear Atsuko in my ear. "Keep your eyes closed, honey. He's got a frightening expression right now."

I can sense Kurama standing still for a moment, and when Keiko cuts the blow-dryer a second time, he moves closer to me.

"Alice."

I hear Shizuru's voice. "Kurama," she says, and I can tell she's angry. "The bracelet that  _you_ put on her - that should have told you that she was in trouble, right? So does the problem lie with the bracelet or you?" she demands. "I know that we're not all blameless, but  _you_  should have been the first person to notice something was wrong!"

I open my eyes enough to see Kurama's pained expression. "The bracelet," he explains, "only transmits her status to me when her life is in danger. Otherwise, I don't know anything."

I see. And up until Hiei came for me, I wasn't quite in danger yet.

His eyes fall back on me, and he frowns again.

"I'm back!" Botan yells, bursting into the bathroom, carrying my purple pajamas. She shoos Kurama out of the bathroom and closes the door. "Let's get her dressed, girls!"

Everyone quickly pitches in, and I'm fully dressed in under a minute. I'm still freezing even though I'm dry, and sleep still has me in its grip. Shizuru pats my cheek awake and opens the door, letting the guys know that the girls are done with me.

"Give her to me," Hiei says, his hand going around my wrist. I'm immediately pulled against him, into that sweet welcoming warmth, and he hauls me up and takes me out of the bathroom. I'm shivering so hard I can't stand it, and Hiei's energy spikes and his heat output doubles.

"Open your mouth, Alice," Kurama says, sticking a old mercury thermometer in my face.

I put it under my tongue, clamping it between my chattering teeth, and bury my face back into Hiei's neck. At some point, I notice that my hands have morphed into claws, and I'm digging into Hiei's back - trying to suck out all the warmth from him I can. And even though I'm probably hurting him, he doesn't complain.

After a moment, I feel Kurama grip the end of the thermometer and tug it from my teeth.

"Thirty-three point three degrees," he announces.

That's ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit, for all you Americans out there.

"What does that mean?" Botan asks.

"Mild hypothermia," I hear Keiko answer promptly. "It's not surprising, considering how long she's been stuck in that freezing rain. I don't think it's anything to worry about though. A couple of years ago, there was a seven-year-old girl in Sweden that drowned. She had a core body temperature of fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit when they pulled her out of the water, but they managed to revive her."

"She's so pale," I hear Atsuko say.

The door opens, I hear Kuwabara breathing hard. "Hey! I brought Yukina! You can heal Alice, right?"

"I'm…I'm not so sure," Yukina says, hesitant. "I'm an ice apparition, and if I touch her, it might make it worse. But Hiei-san should warm her in no time, surely…" I hear her approach me, and can feel a wave of cold air with her. I curl up tighter against Hiei, giving a shudder, and sense her step away. "Has she eaten?"

There is silence.

"N-no," I force out, cracking my eyes open. "I l-left this morn-morning th-thinking I would eat l-later."

"She needs to eat something," Yukina says quickly. "Something hot. If she's hypoglycemic, it's going to take much longer to get her warm."

Shizuru is already on the phone, calling room service. "I need hot vegetable soup immediately, and not even God will help you if there's beef or chicken broth in it."

Botan and Keiko laugh nervously.

I feel a blanket being tucked around me, and see Atsuko above me, wearing her mom-face. "Feel better, okay honey? I'll see you tomorrow. Keiko, are you coming back with me?"

"Yes," she replies. "Yusuke's out late, isn't he?"

"Oh, he's fine," Atsuko says, opening the door. "He does whatever he likes, whenever he likes. I don't know what I'm going to do with him."

"Bye, Alice!" Keiko calls.

I manage to pick up my hand and wave a bit before returning it to Hiei's back. I'm really surprised he hasn't shown any signs of annoyance yet. I guess his feelings extend at least to not letting me die. Or freeze.

Hiei shifts his weight, and I wonder if he's feeling uncomfortable. He sits down on a couch, moving me to his side, while Kurama promptly sits on my other side. I'm immediately sandwiched between them, but no less warm. Kurama's side pressed against mine makes me recoil, and I put more of my weight on Hiei.

_You're awful, Hiei. I regret ever thinking you were awesome._

He makes a slight sound of amusement, and I know he caught that thought.

Botan is watching us curiously, and I can see her filing away details to talk to Shizuru about later. Maybe she can figure Kurama out. I sure as hell can't. The corners of her mouth tug upward as my head falls back on Hiei's shoulder, and I drowsily observe the room.

Kuwabara and Shizuru are standing close together by the door, and I can hear them murmuring together. Yukina, with her heart-shaped face and soft red eyes, is watching me with a clinical air. Her long, teal locks fall over the shoulders of her kimono, and I sort of feel like I'm in the presence of a queen. I feel my eyes drift shut for awhile.

My doze is interrupted by someone shaking me awake, and the aroma of garlic and basil opens my eyes. Kurama is peering into my face and I realize that I'm not sitting up on my own at all, and Hiei's supporting all of my weight. Hiei takes me by the elbows and puts me into a more upright position, and I see there is a tray of soup in front of me. I give a shiver and reach for the spoon. I can't tell if I'm hungry or not.

As soon as I take the first bite though, I realize that I'm ravenous. The robust kidney beans, the slightly crunchy celery, the sweet pop of carrot, and the basil tomato-based broth all fill my mouth with velvety delight. The soup is hot in my throat as I swallow, and before I know it - the bowl is empty and I'm contently full.

With nothing to keep me awake - I slip into a deep, restorative sleep.

* * *

I surface, my head breaking the waves of an endless ocean, and the first thing I realize is that I'm warm again. I float somewhere along the Gulf of Mexico before I realize I'm in Florida, and my mom's waving to me from the white beach. I sink below the surface again, and play with dolphins, calling to them in their bottle-nosed language that makes me sound like I'm from Jersey. I twirl and spin with the waves, catching the sun on my hands and setting it free in the sky.

Somewhere, in a whole other ocean, I hear someone curse.

I surface again, opening my eyes and squeezing them shut again against the sunlight. I squint, and find myself clutching Hiei's warm body like a life-preserver. My head is on his chest, shoulder wedged under his arm, and my arm is wrapped around his stomach. Somehow, I know he's awake. Maybe it's the way he suddenly stopped breathing when I opened my eyes.

I pull my arm back from him and pick up my head. His red eyes are looking up at the shadowed ceiling, and the rising sunlight from the window casts a bright tint to his skin. His eyes slide over to my drowsy face, and his mouth twitches into a smirk.

"Don't comment on my hair," I say automatically. "It always looks like this in the morning."

"Just in the morning?"

Before I can retort, he sits up, and the sun lights him up completely. He's fully-clothed - wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt, and his usual black pants. The sun brings out the blue undertones in his dark hair, and turns his skin gold. He sort of looks like an Egyptian god for a moment, but when he turns his brilliant red eyes back on me - all I can think of is Anne Rice and remember how long it took me to read  _The Vampire Lestat._

I think I'm still half-asleep.

"Ah, you're awake, Alice," I hear Kurama say above me.

I turn and see that he's already fully dressed, wearing another tunic, his green eyes as bright as the new day. His mouth curls up in amusement as he looks at my hair, and he reaches out to thread his fingers through it. I wince when he catches a knot, but he quickly works it out and continues his finger-combing. I don't really remember anyone combing my hair last night.

"How do you feel?" he asks, dividing my hair into three sections. I don't mind him touching my hair. He usually does this sort of thing anyway, so I'm used to it, although a part of me want to cringe away from him.

"Fine," I reply simply. I look around their room. "Where are Kuwabara and Yusuke?"

Kurama's mouth pulls into a frown as he begins to braid my hair. "Yusuke never came back last night, but Kuwabara just went down to breakfast. Perhaps he'll see Yusuke there."

I pull at my pajamas as Kurama's dexterous hands tie a red ribbon at the end of my braid. It's a bit sideways because of the way I was sitting, but it drapes down the front of my pajamas nicely. "What time does the next round start?" I ask, looking up at Kurama.

His face is neutral. "Not until the afternoon." He touches the inside of his wrist to my forehead and shoves the thermometer in my mouth again. When I try to protest, he shushes me and gives me an authoritative look. I scowl at him through the thermometer for two minutes, and wait for him to take it out. When he does, he reads my temperature with a satisfied expression and let's me know that I'm not dying.

I turn to Hiei. "Good work."

Hiei sort of rolls his eyes and gets to his feet to look out the window.

"Do you want breakfast?" Kurama asks, taking my attention away from Hiei's back.

I get the feeling that this is a test, so I nod. I'm not very hungry at the moment, but I can eat something if I have to. "I want rice and pickles," I tell him. "I'll go get dressed and then we can -"

Kurama holds up his hand, looking very stern. "You are not leaving that bed today, Alice. And so help me," he says, face darkening as I open my mouth to protest, "if you so much as stick your nose out of that door, you won't leave this room for the next three days - do I make myself clear?"

I gape at him for a moment before scowling. "Who died and made  _you_  king of the world?" I demand.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Alice, we have this argument every time you're sick. You'll go and do what you want as usual, even though I tell you to stay in bed and recuperate, and then you'll end up more ill than you were to begin with. Perhaps if you think about it and remember, you'll see a pattern."

I huff at him. "I feel fine."

"Famous last words," he replies tartly. His eyes narrow. "I refuse to spend the morning arguing about this. If I come back later and find that you have been outside that door - I'll tie you to this bed. Do you understand?"

I feel my eyes shoot daggers at him. My jaw clenches in anger. "I missed the last round - this  _isn't_ fair! Why are you so  _bossy?_ "

He gives me the same look a parent would give their child having a temper tantrum.

"I don't have to listen to you anyway," I grumble in annoyance. I slide off the bed and go to the door, but as soon as I come within six inches of it - green vines suddenly explode up and cover the door behind a thick wall. I stare at the vegetation a moment, and turn around to give Kurama the deadliest glare I can muster. "Why are you so awful?" I ask him.

He sighs at me, looking out the window. "I suppose if being awful means being concerned about your health, then I suppose I'm the worst person on earth. I'm concerned as well that the round will overexcite you and you'll faint -"

I hold up my hands. "Wait, wait,  _wait_. When have I ever  _fainted?_ "

Kurama holds up two fingers. "Once in Maze Castle, and once when we got back from hearing the news about your future - although, I suspect the dog had something to do with that." He shifts his weight. "Also, you don't want to be sick for the next few days, do you?"

I sigh at him. "Whatever. I still don't see the point in keeping me here."

"Your health isn't important?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm saying you have another motive," I retort, sweeping my eyes across the room. There are food wrappers and crumbs around the kotatsu in the middle of the living area, and Yusuke and Kuwabara have their stuff strewn out everywhere. "I've probably been exposed to whatever's in here, sure, but this still isn't a very sterile place for a person with a supposedly weak immune system."

Kurama frowns and looks away. I can see he's hiding something from me.

Hiei turns from the window, scowling at Kurama. "Since he's just going to dance around it - I'll tell you. He doesn't want you to see him get hurt."

I blink and step toward Kurama. " _That's_  what this is about? Didn't we have this conversation before, Kurama?" I stop before him, hands on my hips, looking up at his face. "I said to prefer me worried, didn't I?"

He sighs, but I can still see his resolve to keep me in this room. "There is another matter of course."

"What else could there be?" I demand, confused.

He looks away again. "You have business with Sakyo, don't you?"

I stare at him, wide-eyed. He overheard my conversation with Shizuru? So did he hear  _everything_  then? "How do you know about that?" I ask, feeling my cheeks grow hot with rage. "Were you  _eavesdropping_ on me?"

His eyebrows go up. "Regardless, I did hear it. I won't let you go near him, Alice." His hand goes around my wrist and his face stops an inch in front of mine. Trying to focus on his eyes makes me dizzy because he's so close, so I slide my gaze to the side, which probably makes me look like I'm not listening. "He's a dangerous man," Kurama continues. "He's one of the reasons we're in this tournament."

"Don't get so close to me," I say, twisting my wrist out of his grasp and stepping back. Kurama straightens and frowns. "I'm going to do whatever I want, whether or not you approve. I don't know what's making you act like you're my  _keeper_  or something, but just stop it."

Kurama's expression darkens. "Alice. I'm trying to protect you."

"You're smothering me! You're like…like this huge smothering mother hen! Don't laugh!" I snap, as his dark expression cracks and his hand covers his mouth. His shoulders are shaking with the effort to keep from laughing. "You're  _awful!_ " I say angrily, slamming the bathroom door behind me.

I slide down the bathroom door and sigh into my knees.

"If you're trying to make her hate you, you're doing a fantastic job," I hear Hiei say quietly.

"That's not it," Kurama mutters.

* * *

By the time five o'clock rolls around, I've already figured out that I can blast Kurama's youki out of his plants guarding the door; making them fall to the floor, limp and lifeless. I'm walking out of the hotel, feeling like a bit of a badass, especially after stopping by my room and getting dressed properly. Unfortunately, my red ankle boots were ruined by the rain, so I'm wearing a pair of silver pumps. I know you must be thinking: Gee whiz, Alice, you're in the woods - why do you wear heels so much?

It's more of an ego thing really. I like to pretend I'm tall.

The new stadium isn't too far away from the hotel, so luckily I don't get lost. Again. Sticks crackle underneath my shoes, and I listen to the bird calls and the squirrel chatters as I walk down the path to the stadium. The sun shines through the leaves, lighting the orange leaves on fire.

A large energy comes across my radar, and I follow it, turning around the corner of the path. Keiko is sitting next to Yusuke by a tree, and as I approach, his weight sags and his head drops down on Keiko's boobs.

I give her a Cheshire Cat grin when she looks up at me. "Having fun?" I ask.

Keiko blushes as she fights down her embarrassment. "What are you doing here? After last night, I thought Kurama would never let you see the light of day again."

"Kurama's plants make surprisingly poor guards," I reply with a smile.

She frowns and looks back up at me. "He seemed really worried about you, you know."

I sigh, shoving my hands in the pocket of my jacket. I drive the toe of my pump in the ground and scowl to myself. "I don't understand what's going on in his head, Keiko, and I'm really tired of trying. He's just so…so…so  _stupid_."

Keiko laughs at me.

"What this? Seems we've got a couple of flirts here!"

A 'ping' on my radar lets me know there are three very low-class demons behind me. I turn, and see a pig type, a monkey type, and what I think is a fish type. They come out of the brush and move closer to us, leering.

"Wanna come play with us, little girls?" Monkey asks, looking inappropriately hungry.

Fish reaches out and snatches my wrist, yanking my arm out of my pocket and jerking me close to him. I nearly lose my balance on my heels, but I catch myself and try to pull out of his grasp. His scaly hand cuts into my bared forearm and I growl at him. "Well?" he asks, hovering in my face.

"Hey! That's Urameshi!" Piggy exclaims.

"No way!" Monkey says, amazed.

Fish drops my arm and leans down to examine Yusuke, ignoring me. I look down at my arm and see tiny slices of flesh bleeding from where he snagged my skin on his scales. I feel my blood pressure rise with rage.

"This is worth the risk," says Fish. "Urgh…!" He turns a strange color as my viridian coils wrap around him like a kraken's tentacles.

"Yeah, we have a real chance - if we get rid of him!" Monkey exclaims, not sensing Fish's pain.

Fish suddenly explodes, sending his guts all over Piggy and Monkey. They scream.

"Ah! He's dead!"

"It's Urameshi!"

"Who knew he'd be this strong when he was asleep?"

They dart off into the woods calling apologies over their shoulders.

I feel my fists twitch.  _"You assholes! It was me! Come back here so I can kill you too!"_  I shout after them.

"Doesn't like to be outshined, does she now?" I hear behind me. I turn around and see Chuu and Rinku.

"Haha, guess not," Rinku replies, twirling a yo-yo in his hand.

I blink, surprised to see them. "Hi?" I ask. I was too distracted by the three stooges to notice their energy signatures.

"We were 'bout to step in, but you did a good enough job of scarin' them away, girlie," says Chuu, taking a drink out of a sake bottle in his hand. At least I think it was sake.

"Oh, thanks," I say, turning to look after the running demons. I nearly jump ten feet in the air though because Jin is standing right next to me, smiling. His blue eyes fall on my arm that Fish scratched up, and his eyes widen. He catches my hand.

"Ah! You're bleedin'! Touya, you got some o' those bandages left?" he asks, Kansai accent pouring out of his mouth. Jin's face is frantic; he looks like he's trying to treat a car crash victim instead of a few measly cuts. "Hurry, Touya! I'm not sure more blood she can stand to lose!"

I burst into laughter. I can't help it.

"Quick! She's delirious!"

"Relax, Jin," Touya sighs, passing him a roll of bandages. "Humans don't die from a few scratches like that." He pauses. "I think."

Jin quickly wraps the bandage around my arm and ties it off. He takes my shoulders and gives me a shake, blue eyes wide. "Live! Live little human foreign girl! Live like the wind!"

I force words out between my laughter. "I'm not - not going to die!"

"That's the spirit!" he exclaims, patting the back of my hand. He leans down, closing the distance between our faces. I hear Chuu and Rinku talking with Keiko, and in the corner of my vision I see a little flutter of Jin's ear. "This is my first time meetin' a foreigner!" he exclaims. "I'm glad you're a girl!"

I blink. "Why?"

His hands go around my arms and I'm pulled against him, and I suddenly know what he's about to do. His mouth covers mine in an instant and I freeze. He has a soft mouth, I think. His lips are a bit wind-chapped though. He pulls away, dancing in place.

"Touya, didja see that? She kissed me!"

I snap out of my daze. " _You_  kissed  _me_ , you jerk!" I shout, swinging my foot at him.

He dances out of my kicking range and drops down in front of Yusuke. "Ah! Our boy here has gotten stronger!"

Chuu puts his hands on his hips and stretches his back, looking somewhat proud. "I think that I can do nothing against him now," he says wistfully.

"You've already lost against him!" Rinku points out.

Chuu cuffs him on the head.

Jin pulls on Yusuke's cheek, stretching it as far as it can go. Yusuke's so tired that he doesn't even wake up. "He's like a kid when he's sleepin'!" Jin remarks, completely carefree. He doesn't seem the type to respect someone's personal space, I gather.

Yusuke pushes Jin's hand away. "Nng, Keiko, you're annoying!" He slips from his seated position and falls over Keiko's lap. "That's enough," he mutters into her thigh.

Keiko's face is tomato-red and Chuu and Rinku burst into laughter. I sort of feel bad for her, so I try not to laugh.

"I'm going in," I say, taking the attention off of her and Yusuke. "Will you be okay?"

She looks uncertain.

Chuu catches her expression. "Oh, I'll stay out here with ya - I don't mind."

"Me too," Rinku says, straightening up and sticking his chest out proudly.

Touya shrugs. "I don't mind either."

Jin gets to his feet, putting his hands behind his head. "In that case, I'll be goin' in to see the match then." He turns to me knowingly. "It's not safe for a girl to go in a place like that alone, you know. Even if you can make them creepers explode everywhere."

I try not to roll my eyes and give Keiko a wave. "See you later." I give her an evil grin, gaze falling on Yusuke.

She gives me a dirty look.

I turn and head into the arena, Jin falling in step beside me. I can hear the crowd growing louder as we make our way down the corridor. My heels echo against the walls, reminding me of an AFI song.

Jin clears his throat. "So, how long have you known Urameshi?"

"I'm not talking to you."

Jin's face kind of falls and he adopts a kicked puppy look. "Oh…am I not good at kissin' then?" he asks, depressed. "I s'pose I could get more practice, then I could come back and give it another go."

I stop, turn, and stare at him. "I don't think we're on same page. I'm not exactly sure where you got the idea that foreigners kiss when they meet someone new, but we don't do that."

He looks confused, blinking his huge blue eyes at me. "But it's in all the manga! I saw it!"

"It's not true," I tell him, turning and moving toward the end of the corridor again.

Jin gives me a thoughtful look, which looks a bit silly on his boyish face and rises as the air picks him up. He folds his legs up Indian-style and floats along beside me. "Then I guess you're a bit ruffled from that. Sorry, then. It's jus' - you were pretty when you were laughin'. And then I thought that kissin' you wouldn't be so tough."

"Please stop talking," I mutter, growing even more uncomfortable.

Jin obliges, with a sulky expression, and then we come to the end of the corridor. The crowd is spread before us in sloppy lines, in at least four different levels, and the lights are bright on the center stage where Genkai is fighting a clown. I tear my eyes away from her and try to spot Botan or Yukina, figuring that either one of them will be easiest to spot in a large crowd. However I seem to forget that the demon race is incredibly exotic, and settle for looking for Shizuru or Atsuko.

Jin shoves his hands in his pockets and patiently stands beside me.

After a few minutes of squinting and looking carefully, I'm pretty sure I see the back of Shizuru's head. A girl with a blue ponytail tied high on her head is sitting next to her, so I'm about ninety percent sure I found my target. She's two columns over to my right, and I don't even want to count how many rows back.

"I think I see my friends," I tell Jin.

"I'll come with you," he says, a pout still hinting around his mouth.

I shrug and start moving right. The crowd screams as Genkai is thrown out of the ring, and I stop for a moment, watching with trepidation. Happily, she gets back on her feet with smirking ease, tossing the clown's ruby round nose in her hand. She goes back in the ring with a vengeance.

"Nervous there for a moment, weren't you?"

I look down and see that I, by some stupendous luck, serendipity, or fate, have stopped right next to Sakyo's seat. He's looking very blasé, smoking a cigarette and watching me with a smirk. I wonder what he's doing here, in the middle of the crowd, when he could or should be sitting in the VIP section. He's sitting in the column next to Shizuru's, but he's on the opposite side, so he likely hasn't seen her yet.

I want to be sure though, so I tilt my head at him. "Have you see Shizuru?"

His smirk widens into an ironic smile. "Have you?"

He's playing with me. I have to play the game better though. "If I see her, I suppose I'll send her over here," I say lightly with a shrug, as if I couldn't care less.

A dark amusement crosses his face. "You do that," he returns.

I turn on my heel and continue to Shizuru's column, Jin shoots me a questioning look. He didn't make a peep when I was talking, but stood beside me towering over Sakyo, but Sakyo didn't appear all that intimidated of course.

"What was  _that_  all about?" he asks when we're out of earshot.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "You never played Cupid before?"

He saunters down the steps beside me. "I'm thinkin' you're in over your head with that one."

I laugh. "I'm always in over my head."

We come to Shizuru's row and I can see that it's definitely her and Botan. Yukina and Atsuko are on the other side of Botan, but I couldn't see them because the were hidden by tall demons behind them.

"Hey," I greet.

They all look up at me, and Shizuru looks the least surprised. She merely sighs while Botan gapes at me in a mixture of outrage and concern.

"Alice, what on  _earth_  are you doing out of bed?" Botan demands, getting half up out of her seat. Yukina looks around her and frowns at me. Atsuko, ever the easy-going mom, just raises her eyebrows and shrugs. "Do you know how concerned we were for you last night?" Botan continues, angrily. "You were  _hypothermic!_ "

"I feel fine, Botan," I say, cutting her off before she could go any further. I look at Shizuru and give her a winning smile. "I have a present for you."

"Oh?" she asks, eyebrows disappearing in her bangs.

I point my thumb over my shoulder. "He's on the other side of that column of seats. First row in the back."

She smiles. "I see." Her eyes drift up to Jin's face and then snap back to mine in a silent question. I shrug at her. She gets up and turns to look at the other girls. "I'll be right back."

Botan gives her a pout and slumps in her seat. Yukina gets to her feet and moves around Botan, leaning against Shizuru's empty spot on the bench. She looks up at me, large red eyes softening on my face.

"You really feel all right?" she asks gently. Her eyes fall on my over-bandaged arm with surprise. "What's this?" Her hands go around my wrist lightly, holding my arm like fine china.

"Oh, just a few scrapes. Jin was overzealous with the bandage," I tell her, patting her hand. "Later when we go back to the hotel, would you heal it for me? It's fine now, but if Kurama sees the bandage, I'm afraid he'll rip out all of his hair."

Yukina hides her smile behind her hand. "Of course," she says, composing herself.

" _And the winner is Genkai!_ " Juri announces.

I look down at the arena and see the clown looking like a crime scene victim from CSI, and Genkai pushing her dusty pink hair out of her face. There is a twinkle in her brown eyes, and her smirk is sardonic. In that moment, I see her pride, her beauty, brilliant like the rising sun.

Botan gets to her feet. "I'd better go check on Koenma."

Atsuko downs the last of her beer and gets to her feet too. "S'pose I better go make sure Yusuke's all right."

"I'd better go check on Shizuru," I say, backing away, hoping no one will follow me. I give Jin a hard look, but he only blinks at me.

"What's Shizuru doing?" Yukina asks, curiously. "Did she not feel well?"

My mouth opens and closes as I try to think of something to say that doesn't sound overly suspicious. "I think she went to go find Kuwabara," I decide on finally.

Yukina's eyes narrow ever so slightly, and I realize she's just as perceptive as her brother. She knows I'm lying.

I turn and dash away before she can say anything.

"Oi!" Jin yells.

I grimace and hope Jin doesn't follow me up the stairs - not that I'm getting along very quickly anyway. My heels are slowing me down, but there's so much shit on the ground I'm afraid to take them off. I finally reach the landing and glance over my shoulder. Jin's looking up at me with surprise and I can see Yukina and Botan frowning in my direction. I give them a jaunty wave and head off to where I saw Sakyo last, knowing that I am going to be grilled about my behavior later.

When I get to the other side of the column though, neither Sakyo nor Shizuru are around. I grin, figuring that they went to go find a private place to be alone together.

I'm fucking Cupid, man. Yes!

I giggle with glee and head back around the column to see if the girls are still over there. They are, standing on the staircase, but to my lurching stomach, Kurama is standing with them now. I slowly back away, but it's too late. Kurama's forest green eyes have already snapped up and spotted me.

His face turns stormy.

I wonder if I start running now if I can possibly make it out of the arena before he reaches me.

I doubt it though, because when he starts striding up the steps, it's impossibly fast. I forgot for a moment that he's a demon. He takes the steps several at a time and by the time I count to three, he's already in front of me.

I dillydallied too long. I shouldn't have come back here. Damn it.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, grabbing my wrist so I can't run away. I can see him pushing his anger back for my sake, and his expression mellows. His hold around my wrist doesn't slacken though.

"Um," I say intelligently. "I guess…I was bored?"

Kurama's free hand goes up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Allow me to rephrase the question. How did you manage to leave the room?"

"Oh, I killed your plants. Sorry."

* * *

~BONUS SURPRISE~

**Kurama's point of view, lovelies.**

I climb the steps up to the stands, knowing that the girls (aside from one in particular) are all sitting above us somewhere. A scent floats to me, the smell of a familiar lilac hand lotion that Yusuke's mother uses. It cuts through the other smells of the arena, floating above the metallic blood, the alcohol, and the smoke. It leads me to the girls standing on a staircase right above the ring, and the wind shinobi, Jin, standing with them.

Yukina straightens up with surprise when she sees me and exchanges an uncertain look with Botan. Botan's pink mouth presses into a flat line and she shrugs. I notice Shizuru is missing from the group.

"Everyone all right?" I ask, warily.

"Oh, of course," Yukina answers immediately. I can still see her hesitating with something though.

Atsuko's eyes sweep around the area. "Where did Alice go?" she asks. "That girl is like a ghost - here one minute and gone the next."

Ah.

I see.

Botan and Yukina exchange a small grimace. Sensing someone else's horror, I look up to see Alice standing at the top of the staircase like a deer caught in headlights. She edges back, heels ( _heels_ ) scraping back against the concrete. Her hips seem to ever so slightly wiggle ( _indecently_ ) as she wonders whether or not she should bolt.

I'm not having that at all.

I close the gap between us faster than she expects, judging by the flash of desperation in those dark blue eyes of hers. I wonder if she realizes how much emotion she displays in times like these. What could she be thinking? Certainly she isn't dense. She should know better than to venture out into a demon-infested island alone.

My hand wraps around her tiny wrist before she can run away at the last moment. I tower over her, using every inch of my height to intimidate her. Her mouth presses together in a soft line, and I can tell that I'm making her edgy. When I open my mouth, she winces as if I'm going to hit her.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, forcing my expression into something more mild. I keep my hold on her wrist though. Alice can be …squirrelly… when forced into corners.

By the sudden twitch in her arm, I know she isn't going to give me a straight answer. "Um, I guess…I was bored?" she asks, voice moving up into an innocent soprano.

I can feel a mild headache coming on. There was no way for her to get out of our hotel room's window, considering it doesn't open and it's ten stories in the air, so she must have found a weakness in my plants. Although, considering the nature of her powers, I suppose it isn't that surprising that she managed to get past them. I was idiotically hoping that she wouldn't even try.

 _Boredom_ , she says. Honestly.

"Allow me to rephrase the question," I say, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "How did you manage to leave the room?"

Her voice returns to her regular alto tone. "Oh, I killed your plants. Sorry."

I knew it.


	19. Somebody That I Used to Know

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Nineteen: Somebody That I Used To Know**

* * *

_But you didn't have to cut me off,_

_Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing,_

_And I don't even need your love,_

_But you treat me like a stranger,_

_And that feels so rough_

(Does anyone else think that Gotye and John Burgmeier sound similar?)

* * *

Kurama keeps a firm grip on my arm and pulls me down the stairs to the others. Botan raises her eyebrows in surprise and Atsuko frowns at his hand. Yusuke's mom gives Kurama a pointed look, but doesn't say anything.

Genkai has arrived on the staircase as well, but Hiei seems to have disappeared. I give her an excited grin. "Genkai, your fight totally made my day."

She gives a sharp throaty "hah!" of amusement and turns to Kurama. "I have things to do. You're going to stay and watch Team Toguro fight?"

He blinks. "Of course. That was my plan anyway." He glances at me. "Are you staying, Alice?"

"Mmm…" I say uncertainly. His hand drops from my wrist as he waits for me to make my decision. I kind of want to stay, because I know Kurama is going to be watching Karasu, but I sort of  _don't_  want to stay because I'm positive that this match is going to be exceedingly violent. I guess I can hide my eyes if it gets too bad.

"I guess so," I finally tell him. "I'll stay with you."

"Well, let's head out then, shall we, girls?" Botan says cheerfully. I catch her eye, and I can see for a moment that she's still uncertain about leaving me alone with Kurama, but she's happy if I'm okay with it. Her blue ponytail bounces as she looks at Yukina and Atsuko.

Jin gives Kurama an unreadable look and then turns to the girls. "I'll go out with ya. I wonder if Urameshi has woken up yet?"

Atsuko snorts as she follows Botan up the steps. "Not likely."

Yukina glances at me, frowns, and looks away. She's annoyed because I lied to her, and she doesn't know where Shizuru is. I guess she's worried. I decide not to say anything about it now though, since I don't want Kurama to remember that I had plans with Sakyo. I just give her a reassuring smile and watch her follow Jin.

Genkai is last and gives us a lingering look. She makes a sound of amusement and shakes her head, following Yukina.

I blink. "I'm confused." Of course, she can be laughing at mine and Kurama's dismal relationship. It wouldn't surprise me. It's so sad it's funny.

Kurama shrugs. "Let's stand up here, shall we?" he suggests, pointing up at the platform. There really isn't anywhere to sit, since so many people have come just to watch Team Toguro.

I nod and follow him, listening to the crowd become more and more restless. The word on everyone's tongue is  _Toguro_ , tinged with fear and excitement, and it isn't much longer until a chant begins. It's starts slow, but then it erupts -  _TO-GU-RO TO-GU-RO TO-GU-RO_  explodes from the stands.

Kurama and I stop, coming to the landing, and stand behind the column of roused demons.

Juri tosses her hand in the air and twirls. "And here they are! Team Toguro!"

There is already a team down by the ring, but I don't know their name. I don't recall seeing them before. Team Toguro comes in from a door on the opposite side, standing at the edge of the ring. The youngest Toguro is missing, leaving the elder brother, Karasu, and Bui.

I frown, trying to remember if there was some sort of significance to this.

Karasu ends up going first, against a guy who doesn't even get a chance to display his powers. Karasu toys with him, blowing off both of his arms, and enjoying his screams. My heart clenches and I glance up at Kurama, who's expression is calculating and cool. I feel a sense of dread thinking about his fight with the crow demon.

As Karasu finishes off his opponent, I very pointedly say to Kurama, "It's like he's got invisible bombs or something. Like he conjures them out of thin air."

Kurama's eyebrows go up and his eyes slide over to my face. "Far-fetched, but not impossible, I suppose. I'm more inclined to think that he sends his energy through his opponent, so if one were to avoid his touch, one would be fine."

I purse my lips together, trying to think of a way to get Kurama to seriously consider what I know is true. "Well, there's that, but Karasu is a powerful demon. He has to have some mid to long range capabilities. I can't imagine he got so strong by just being a short-ranged fighter."

Kurama frowns. "I've already thought of that, of course, but unfortunately, after watching all of his fights I still haven't seen him employ any of those tactics. He seems to favor touching his opponent."

"Ugh." At least I've made him think more about it, even though he clearly wasn't going to listen to me.

"Indeed," he agreed, misreading the sentiment.

Bui is next. His opponent is large by human standards, but against Bui, he's a pipsqueak. His energy is weak, and I can see his fear. He has a very large sword that's probably about as long as I am tall, but compared against Bui's ax, it's nothing. Juri or Koto yells his name - Karenja, and announces the beginning of the match.

Kurama's green eyes slide over to my face. "Cover your eyes, Alice. I have the distinct feeling that this is going to be gruesome."

"Ah," I say, looking at my shoes and setting my hands around my forehead so I can't see the arena. "Thanks. I hate throwing up."

He chuckles.

All of the sudden I hear the crowd give a loud "OOH!" and then there are hesitant cheers. I guess Bui must have killed the guy. I wait for Kurama to tell me when it's okay to look again.

"Is it bad?" I ask after a moment.

"You can look now," he replies. "They've cleaned it up."

 _It_ , I think to myself, biting my lip. They've cleaned  _it_  up. I am completely uncertain at how to take this senseless violence. I don't know what to do. I've spent a majority of my life advocating against violence - against women, children, and animals, but being here just throws it in my face. I wish I had the strength to stay back in Asaka and let things happen here as they will. But I'm not that kind of person. I can't just stay out of the way when the people I care about are in danger.

Kurama seems to sense my mood. His hand settles on top of my head and he murmurs, "Everyone, aside from us, entered this Tournament willingly, knowing that death was a very real possibility. There are no victims here, Alice."

"Right," I say, appreciating the attempt to make me feel better. It helps a little. "I'm going to get tea. Do you want something?"

I can tell from his expression that he's uncertain about letting me go alone, but his eyes glance back at the arena.

"Everyone's watching this," I say.

"True," he agrees, smiling slightly. "No, I don't want anything. Hurry back."

I nod and head toward a hallway that leads to the concessions. I doubt there's anyone working the counter right now, but it doesn't matter to me. I just wanted to get away from the match.

Silence welcomes me to the concession stands, and there isn't a single person in sight. The TV that should be showing the match isn't on. I give a sigh of relief and glance around the area. There's a vending machine in the corner, but I can't tell what's inside, so I have to move closer.

I wrinkle my nose at the rows of sugary shakes facing out at me. Happily, I see a can of my favorite tea winking at me from the bottom, and dig in my pocket for change. Kurama might think it strange if I don't actually come back with something anyway. I frown at the coins in my hand and glance at the price by the can. I'm short by ten yen.

"Really?" I ask myself. I dig in my other pocket and my jacket, but come up empty-handed. But then, I glance at the ground about five feet away from me, and see a shiny bronze coin on the floor. I snatch it up, glad there isn't anyone around to see me. Your typical polite Japanese person didn't grow up with "finders-keepers", so picking up money you find on the ground is a no-no. It's almost criminal.

I drop my change in the machine and press the button for my tea, and it comes out with a little jingle and a puff of cold air.

Popping the tab, I take a sip and wonder if I should start heading back. Kurama did tell me to hurry. Maybe I can just lurk in the hallway until I'm sure that it's safe to go back out. Agreeing with myself that that's a great plan, I leave the concession stands and go to the end of the hallway and peek around the corner, spotting Kurama's back.

The crowd is moving around, so I assume the last fight must be over. Stepping out into the stands, I tug on Kurama's somewhat ragged tunic and give him a quick smile when he glances down at me.

"Feeling better?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I nod, catching his gaze falling on my tea. Even though he told me he didn't want anything, I offer the can to him. He takes it and drinks after me, watching the crowd move past us. I can see a shadow in his eyes when he returns the tea to me. He's worried.

He quirks a partial smile. "Shall we go then?"

I nod, and we move with the crowd through the corridor that will lead us outdoors. We hug the strange-looking reddish walls, shuffling along, and I try to avoid getting stepped on. Everyone is talking about the fight, Team Toguro, and how they are most definitely going to win the Tournament.

"I want to burn this place down with Team Toguro effigies in the middle of it," I mutter to Kurama.

"Not the actual team?" he responds with a raised eyebrow.

A group of cocky male demons passes us by, and they glance at Kurama. I hear them whispering amongst themselves.

"That's Kurama!" one of them hisses. "He just observed the enemy."

Another one gives a sharp laugh. "What's the point?"

"Go fuck yourself, asshole," I snap, white-hot rage washing over me. I start over to him, but Kurama grabs my arm - and yanks me to a stop.

The group of douchebags cackle and leave the corridor.

"Don't waste your energy, Alice," he murmurs, dropping my arm. Suddenly, he snatches it back up again and jolts me behind him. At the same time, I'm suddenly hit with a headache - like someone just flash-freezed my brain.

Kurama's hand is tight around my arm. I squint through my sudden migraine and feel myself turn pale when I see Karasu and Bui standing in front of us. Kurama lets my arm go and I back away, watching his hands curl into fists.

Bui and Karasu just stand there, like they're waiting for the bus. Judging by the way his eyes crinkle and narrow, Karasu is amused by Kurama's actions.

"You're the only observer?" Karasu asks, ignoring me (thankfully). "You have guts."

"Not really," Kurama replies calmly.

"Don't be nervous," Karasu says silkily. His long black hair dips in his face as he smiles slightly under his mask. "There are two days before the four of you die."

Kurama's voice maintains its steadiness. "Four?" His shoulders are tense.

"One of you will die today," he answers. "You'll find out in a little while."

There is a sound of a small explosion as Bui smashes his hand into the wall I'm standing next to. I give a groan as I clutch my head, feeling it crack open. Loud noises and migraines do not mix well.

I hear Karasu's voice above me, through the reverberation of my pounding waves of pain. I squint again and realize that I dropped my can of tea on the ground at some point. It's a good thing that Kurama drank most of it. I look up and see Karasu's hands hovering around Kurama's neck, touching his hair gently.

"Your hair is damaged," Karasu observes. His voice gains a slightly jovial tone, so subtle that I barely notice it. "You've come for treatment? It shouldn't be neglected." Then, with a hiss of cold air: "Humans are  _so_  fragile."

Kurama reacts with a sudden ferociousness that shocks me, swiping at Karasu with his fist. " _Bastard!_ " he snaps, livid green eyes flashing.

Karasu is suddenly next to Bui again, and I feel my eyes spin. I close them, hoping that cutting off my sight will relieve me of some pain. It doesn't.

Karasu laughs. "It was just for fun. Despite your appearance, you are aggressive. Of the five you're my favorite." He pauses. "When I kill the one I like, it depresses me a little, like when I ask myself the reason for my existence." I can't see Karasu's face, but I can sense the pins and needles of unease Kurama is feeling. "But from this sensation, I receive enormous excitement. It will go better in two days."

My headache lessens, and I'm finally able to straighten up and open my eyes.

Bui and Karasu are gone, and Kurama's expression is far away and unreadable, but his face is covered in a sheen of sweat and his hands are clenched into fists. I come away from the wall and touch his arm, and his forest green eyes turn over to me.

"I can't win," he says suddenly. "Not like this."

I feel startled for a second, because he doesn't typically share his thoughts with me, but I gather myself and tug on his hand. "Let's get out of this stadium and get some fresh air."

He nods and allows me to lead him outside. We are hit by a blast of cool air and sharp sunlight, and I tug him over to a wooden bench shaded by an oak tree. The smell of forest pine wafts around us as we sit down, and I turn to look at him, dropping my chin on my shoulder.

He's looking down at his hands in his lap, spine taking a slight slouch, red bangs in his eyes.

"What will you do?" I ask.

He sighs, propping his elbows on his knees and folding his hands. "At what point did you arrive today?"

I blink, wondering what that has to do with anything. "Genkai's fight with the clown guy."

"Suzuka," Kurama supplied. "So you missed my fight."

I wasn't sure if I heard a note of annoyance in his voice or not, so I just nodded.

"My opponent had some sort of smoke that had some regressive effects on my body. He intended to only revert me to a fetus, but I went back even farther than that."

Somewhere in my head, I had a flash of memory about this fight. "You mean…you became your true self again? All the way back to Youko Kurama?"

Kurama nodded. "The one who created that smoke was Suzuka, so if I find him, I can take my true form again - at least during my fight with Karasu."

"That sounds like a very good plan," I say, feeling reassured. "I'll help you get it out of him, if you like."

Kurama opens his mouth to reply, but stops suddenly. My headache comes back, and I know why. There is suddenly a huge demonic energy coming from the forest - it feels like eighty stage lights pointed into my retinas. I squeeze my eyes shut.

"What the hell is that?" I say, holding my head. A smaller energy accompanies the demonic one. It feels human, and for some reason I think of Genkai.

Kurama's hand goes around my arm and he pulls me to my feet. "Can you walk?" he asks avoiding my question swiftly. "It's getting late. I'll take you back to the hotel."

I let him lead me along, squinting to see and rubbing my temples. "Kurama, do you know what that is?"

He doesn't reply, so I stop asking.

After he drops me off at my room, I lay down for a bit to recover from my migraines. It doesn't take too terribly long before my head feels mostly normal again, and whatever that demonic energy was dissipates. I get to my feet, feeling a little hungry, and decide to go down to the hotel's restaurant to get something to eat. I call the girls' room first, wondering if Shizuru has made it back yet.

Botan answers the phone. Her voice seems a bit listless. "Hello?"

"It's Alice," I say, wondering if I should ask what's wrong. "Is Shizuru back yet?"

I hear a sharp intake of breath from her. "No. What is she doing? You wouldn't say anything earlier."

"That's because Kurama was there," I reply. "She's on a date - or should be anyway. Don't tell anyone though, okay? If he hears that, he's going to kill me."

Botan sounds confused. "What? What on earth does Kurama have to do with this? Will he be jealous? I thought  _you_  liked him!"

Oops. I guess that this would be confusing. "No, he won't be jealous. He'll just be mad at me because he wants me to avoid the guy I set Shizuru up with, so don't tell, okay?"

" _Oh_ ," she says. "So…then do you like Kurama?"

I heave a sigh. "I don't know anymore."

"That's not helpful," Botan pouts. "Oh! What about Hiei?"

I burst into laughter and hang up on her.

* * *

I'm leaving the hotel's restaurant, feeling full and satisfied, when I see Shizuru smoking in the lobby. She's on one of the pay phones, and she looks up and sees me. She waves me over with a slight smile.

"No, we're fine. When will you be back from Sapporo? Oh, I see. No, no, it's fine." She inhales on her cigarette, waiting for the other person to finish talking. "Okay. I'll have Kazuma call you tomorrow. He's out right now. 'Bye, Dad. Love you too." She hangs up and turns to me.

I'm dancing on my toes like a puppy. "So? How'd it go?"

She cracks a smile. "He was fun. He took me out to a nice restaurant and we talked for awhile." Her eyes gain a far-away look to them. "He said he liked me, and then he kissed me."

I feel my mouth split into a huge grin. "Was it good?"

She shoves me.

I laugh and swat at her. "Come on, Shizuru, I'm not getting  _any!_  Make me swoon!"

She rolls her eyes. "Are the other girls in the restaurant?"

"They're upstairs," I answer. "At least Botan is anyway. I'll go up with you."

We get on the elevator and hit the button for the tenth floor. When the doors ding open, we step out in the hallway and see Kuwabara racing past us, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Urameshi!" he yells. "I, the great awesome Kuwabara, have a new technique!" He doesn't see me and Shizuru, or he ignores us completely. He flings the door to the boys' room open. "You in there?"

Shizuru shakes her head, lighting another cigarette. "I'm going ahead. Do you want to see what he's talking about?"

I crack a smirk. "You know me too well."

She smiles and turns down the hallway to go to the girls' room. There's a sway to her hips as she walks, I notice. Awhile back there was a study of a correlation between the way a woman walks and the frequency of her orgasms. The more frequent and intense her orgasms were, the more sway to her step she had. And by the way Shizuru is moving…well, it's definitely hard to keep from grinning. Must press for details later, I remind myself.

I follow Kuwabara into the boys' room and walk in on Yusuke's huge energy in my face. It's like walking into a sheet of lightning.

"My eyeballs!" I moan, squeezing my eyes shut.

Yusuke turns around and looks at us, sucking his energy back into himself. I'm not really sure what he was doing. "Oh, hey," he says lightly. "What's up?"

"Um, hi," Kuwabara says lamely. He grits his teeth and points at Yusuke. "You surprised me! But everyone has a unique spirit, and now I have a unique spirit sword - my reiken!"

"Huh?" I ask, wondering what he was going on about. Something about Kuwabara is that when he's excited, it's hard for him to make sense.

"You're still the same noisy idiot as always," Hiei's voice says behind me. I turn and see him step into the room. His right arm is reddened and looks burned - sooty even.

"What happened to your arm?" Yusuke and I demand at the same time. Kuwabara cringes and looks nauseous.

Hiei holds his blackened hand up, examining it. "I overdid my practicing a bit."

"A  _bit?_ " I say as Kuwabara bursts into laughter.

"Well, if Kurama doesn't get here soon -"

"I've been here," Kurama says, interrupting Kuwabara. "For awhile."

I jump, because I hadn't noticed him either. He had been leaning against the wall behind Kuwabara. Kurama glances at me and raises his eyebrows for some reason.

"Feeling better?" he asks, approaching me.

Oh, my migraine. I nod.

He smiles slightly. "Good. Here, Hiei," he says, reaching past me, and handing him his small pot of healing salve. "Perhaps you'll find it useful."

Hiei takes it without complaint, or gratitude.

"So now we're all here - oh, wait, where's Genkai?" Kuwabara asks, looking around as though she's hiding like Kurama did. I wonder too. I haven't seen her since she left the arena, and then there was that big energy earlier -

It's very, very subtle, but Kurama suddenly freezes in front of me.

Yusuke looks down at the floor, frowning, and scratches the back of his head. "She's not coming back today."

What does  _that_  mean? I frown at Yusuke, but he's not looking at me, so I frown at Kurama instead. He carefully avoids my gaze too. Annoyance rising up, I feel like throwing something across the room.

Kuwabara shrugs it off though, and stretches. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a bath first, if that's okay."

Yusuke wrinkles his nose at Kuwabara. "Go for it dude."

Kuwabara tosses him an annoyed glance and shuts the bathroom door behind him.

"Yusuke -" I begin, but Kurama interrupts me.

"Alice, I have something to do. Would you come along with me?" he asks, forcibly steering me out of the door, by my shoulders. "I think you'll find it rather magnificent."

"What are you talking about?" I demand, as he pushes me in the elevator. "I just wanted to ask Yusuke about Genkai."

The elevator's doors close and Kurama's green eyes pierce me like a spear. "You will not bring her up to him for the remainder of the Tournament, do you understand?" His voice is dangerous and even.

I frown and look at the floor, working my fingertips into my palms. Kurama's intimidation tactics are very effective when he's serious. "But why?" I mumble.

"I don't want him to lose focus," he replies, voice still hard. "Do you understand me?"

I nod, grudgingly. Kurama knows me too well. He knows that if he can get me to agree to something, I'll follow through, no matter what. Stupid jerk.

I sense him relax beside me and his fingertips brush my shoulder blade. I bring my eyes up to his face and the corners of his mouth pull up. "I managed to get a hold of the concoction Suzuka created. Would you like to see the effects?"

I blink. "You mean, you're going to show me your full-fledged demonic form?"

His eyebrows tick up. "If you think you can handle it." His eyes fall on the bracelet he gave me days ago. "Have you gotten used to that?"

I look down at my arm and realized I did. The strong demonic energy is hardly noticeable to me anymore. "I guess so. It's not uncomfortable anyway."

He smiles as the doors open and I follow him through the lobby. We walk outside of the hotel, into the night, and veer off the paved road into the woods. We walk in silence for awhile, stepping over fallen logs and branches, listening to crickets and other night sounds. Eventually, we come to a place where I don't sense other demons close by and Kurama stops.

"I have a theory," he begins, taking me by my upper-arms. He guides me to a spot by a tree and steps back. "Stay there. I have a suspicion that not only my body regresses, but my memories and mind do as well. So when I take this potion, I would not expect me to know you."

I blink. "O-oh? So what if you decide to eat me or something?"

It is Kurama's turn to blink, but then he gives me an amused smile. "Not all demons eat humans, Alice. But I doubt very much that I would attack you, otherwise I would not have brought you out here with me. Do you have a watch?"

I nod, holding up my left wrist. I can see the face in a sliver of moonlight through the leafy canopy above me.

"Keep time for me. I want to know how long it takes for me to change from Shuichi to Youko, and how long I am Youko. Can you do that?" he asks, pulling out a vial.

"Yes," I reply. "I'll start as soon as you drink that."

He uncorks the vial and downs the contents, making a face. He pockets it and we wait.

I watch the second hand tick along the face of my watch, stretching out my senses to Kurama. His energy is fluctuating slightly, like the trilling of a bird. After a minute, it becomes more intense, and he steps back into the shadowed darkness where I can't see him. His energy gets smaller, and smaller, and even smaller…and then suddenly…

Suddenly it explodes.

Two minutes.

"Kurama?" I ask tentatively, wondering if I should just go find a rock to hide under. His demonic energy is huge, covering the entire surrounding area. If I had not gotten used to the little sliver in his bracelet, I'm pretty sure my head would be cracking open right now.

His youki waves over me, examining me, and I see a shifting movement from the darkness in which he disappeared.

He steps out, this incredible ethereal being. Impossibly tall, Egyptian gold eyes, silver moonlight hair - it reaches down his waist, brushing over his tail. My eyes go up to his head, and stop at those large, white fox ears. They twitch in my direction when my breath hitches in my throat.

His golden eyes are on my face. His expression is blank, unreadable.

"Do you know me?" I ask.

He approaches me, and suddenly my right wrist - the one with that stupid bracelet - is in his hand. He holds my arm up to his face, about an inch from his mouth, and his eyes slide over to me. "Am I supposed to?" he responds. "Why do you have this?"

The words tumble out. "You gave it to me. For protection or something." He's unnerving me with his cool attitude. He's giving me nothing to work with - nothing to appeal to, but maybe that's his intention.

His golden eyes are unreadable. "Why should I want to protect you?" His eyebrows go up ever-so-slightly. "You're pretty, but you're still a mere human. So," he murmurs, turning back to the inside of my wrist. His nose grazes my skin and I feel air move around as he inhales, probably smelling my floral perfume. "How do you amuse me?"

I feel myself getting annoyed. I snatch my arm out of his grasp, and I know that it's only because he allowed it. "I'm not your plaything," I snap. " _Idiot_."

A sharp laugh escapes him. "You're cute when you're angry - like an irritated kitten. Perhaps that's why I keep you? Hm?" His fingers thread through my blonde curls, and his expression is expectant. I force myself to keep from responding, making my face blank, because getting angry would only feed into this ridiculousness. When I don't respond, he makes another sound of amusement, and suddenly his mouth is at my ear. "Defiant little thing, aren't you?"

I shudder at his closeness and try to pull away, but of course, he found something humorous in my reaction. The unyielding hand curling around my waist is completely expected, and I feel him smile against my hair.

"Not a plaything?" he asks dubiously, catching my wrist again. Underneath his palm, I feel the bracelet crush into my skin.

"You're a sadist," I tell him, ignoring the sting of the bracelet and weight of his hand on my hip. "It's not your power you're feared for, is it? It's your boredom."

He pulls his face back and gives me a cool smile. "Very astute. Perhaps another reason I keep you."

"For the last time, I do  _not_  belong to you."

His grip around my wrist loosens and his first finger slips underneath the bracelet. He brings it up with my arm, and gold glimmers underneath the moonlight. "You're assuming I mean as a lover, but that's not always the case. I keep others around me for a variety of reasons, but you can be certain that you  _do_  belong to me. Otherwise you would not have this trinket on your wrist."

"You have a very big ego, you know that?" I say, trying to pull my wrist away from him. He doesn't allow it this time, so I stop, knowing that I'll only end up hurting my arm.

His face is thoughtful. "Do I?" His eyes are on my face suddenly. "My memories are precise, accurate, and photographic - yet, I don't remember you or this place. But you know why, don't you?"

I sigh. I don't really feel like explaining. "I'm not sure how far back you've regressed to, but in your future, you're forced to take on a human aspect to survive a fatal wound."

"Regressed?" he asks, coolly.

I keep it short and to the point. "Currently, you've been entered in the Dark Tournament, and an opponent has created this regressive potion to just turn you into a human fetus, but then it just took you back all the way to Youko Kurama. You've decided to use it against your next opponent, who is too strong to be faced as a human."

"I see," he says. I can't read what he's thinking, but his hand moves from my waist to curl around my cheek. I try not to jump at the sudden gesture. "So I'm a human now."

"Sort of," I reply, starting to hope that this potion will wear off soon. "You still have your powers, but in a more watered-down way."

His thumb brushes my cheekbone. "And what about you? What are you to the human me?"

"I hate you," I answer. "Like, a lot."

He chuckles, golden eyes flashing with amusement. "You blink when you lie. Perhaps you simply love me so much you think you hate me."

I try not to roll my eyes at him.

His youki, coming off of him in waves, shinks back like the low tide. It pulls into him, and he begins to feel like the normal Kurama. He steps back into the shadows again with a sardonic smile and I wait impatiently, looking at my watch.

Sixteen minutes.

His energy is back to normal, and as he comes back under the moonlight, his appearance is the familiar red hair and forest green eyes. He raises his eyebrows in a questioning look, and I tell him the time. I think he's aware of his old self's actions toward me, because there is a hint of bashfulness in his expression.

"Shall we go back to the hotel then?" he asks, pressing his palm against the small of my back. I step away from his hand and start moving forward on my own. I  _don't_  want him to touch me right now. Or ever.

"Sure," I say, stepping over a fallen branch. I don't really think I'm  _that_  offended by his actions, because I know Kurama isn't that person anymore. I suppose he must have been very different when he was younger. But still, I can sense his youko energy clinging to him like static, and his human reiki pushing against it. It churns around him strangely, giving me chills.

A familiar hot youki is racing toward us. Hiei suddenly drops from the black sky and lands smoothly in front of us. His face is annoyed as he points his flame-red eyes at Kurama. "So, you thought you could leave me out of this, Kurama?" he demands, scowling.

Kurama's eyebrows go up innocently. "You wanted to pit yourself against me, Hiei? I had no idea."

"Tch, I won't put up with your silly games. Now take the potion again," Hiei orders.

"Unfortunately, I didn't bring all of it with me, and I finished what I did bring," Kurama tells him. His body language shows no sign of the effects his churning aura might have. If I could not sense it, I would think that everything is fine.

"Are you okay?" I ask Kurama, knowing that he probably won't give me a straight answer.

His smile is forced. "Of course."

Hiei's head tilts to the side as he examines Kurama. I'm not sure if he sees what I see, or more of it, but he may because of his Jagan. Kurama puts up with his scrutiny with a saint-like patience. After awhile, Hiei's bright red eyes slide over to me, and he watches me for a moment.

It's unnerving. I bet they're having some silent, telepathic conversation. "What?" I ask.

Hiei's smirk is amused. "Completely oblivious," he says out of nowhere.

I blink as Kurama frowns at him. "Hiei."

The fire demon scoffs. His hot hand shoots out and curls around my wrist, and at the same time Kurama takes a  _lurching_  step toward Hiei's arm, a strange expression in his eyes. It's somewhere between cold and possessive and completely unlike anything I've ever seen on his face. Kurama catches himself as Hiei swings a mild glare at him, and his eyes go wide and he stops in his tracks.

His face is blank, unreadable, and he gives Hiei a nod. His green eyes slide over to me, and for the first time, I notice brilliant gold flecks in his irises.

I can't examine him anymore though, because Hiei tugs my arm and pulls me out of the clearing.

"What the hell?" I ask.

Hiei doesn't respond, and his pace is almost too fast, so I can barely keep up with him. His hand is on the verge of being painfully tight around my arm. The forest floor crunches under our feet, and I hear rustling through the leaves of the brush around us - the sound of animals shooting off in the opposite direction from us.

"Hiei, what's going on?" I try again.

For some reason, Hiei stops and glances behind us. He seems satisfied after a moment and turns back to me. He's standing right next to me, and I suddenly realize we're the same height - and I'm wearing heels. I blink in surprise.

Before I can comment on his growth spurt though, he starts explaining. "I'm sure you noticed that Kurama still had some of his old energy mixed in his aura."

I nod.

Hiei looks away, and a corner of his mouth pulls down. "It was affecting him.  _You_  were affecting him."

I stare at him. "I  _think_  I know what you're saying, but I think I need it spelled out for me a bit more."

Hiei meets my eyes again. "Neither of us are sure what would have happened. He thought it best to take you on ahead." With that he began pulling me along again. "If you want to know more,  _you_  ask him."

So, if what I'm thinking is correct, then Kurama was about to totally make a move on me. But since it was due to that stupid demonic energy of his and not any authentic feeling for me, I decided that I should feel  _unflattered,_ since, you know, I could be a Yeti and he would still be aroused.

I think that I'm done. Like, so done. I don't know why I keep thinking he'll come around.

I examine Hiei, better able now that we've slowed down a bit. His gait is smooth and even, even though he's still pulling me along behind him. His hand around my arm is bandaged, but I can't see how far the white dressing goes because his arm is partially hidden by his inky cloak. I can smell him - he has a woodsy scent that's a little bit metallic too, maybe because of his sword.

I wonder if Botan is right. I guess I never really gave Hiei a lot of thought.

I decide, even though his hand is a little too tight, it's still nice around my arm. His shoulders tense slightly, and he looks behind him, eyes meeting mine.

I wonder if he's listening to my thoughts again. "You've gotten taller," I say, maybe to deflect his attention. "More than me."

He studies me for a moment, with no reply, but then he starts pulling me along again. "It's getting late," he mutters. I think I hear a note of anger in his tone. I wonder if I should ask if anything is wrong.

Before I can though, my heel catches on something on the ground and my ankle is wrenched in a sharp sideways motion. "Ah!" I squeak, loosing my footing. Hiei catches me around my waist and hauls me right side up again, yanking off my shoe in the process. He bends over, one arm still around me, and prods my ankle. "I don't think it's broken," I tell him, wincing. "Or even twisted."

"You've just overextended it, is all," he says flatly, sounding irritated. The moon shines on the nape of his neck as he bends his head over my leg. "What are you thinking, wearing these stupid things in the woods? You  _know_  they're impractical." His warm hand curls around my ankle, and the ache that had been lingering there dulls. "You're an idiot."

Somehow, it doesn't sound like an insult when he says it.

I study him, examining the curve of his spine, the broad line of his shoulders, and the way the moonlight lights up his skin. My hand is curled over his shoulder for balance, and I can feel the warmth of his skin even through his heavy cloak. My eyes fall on his neck again, and I find myself leaning closer, curious. If Hiei notices my shift in balance, he doesn't say anything.

My mind is blank, but my heart's racing, in that way when you realize that the person you're with is suddenly very attractive, and you would very much like to do something to them you'll both hopefully like. Vaguely, I wonder if Hiei has any experience with girls. He's really good-looking, but with his attitude, maybe most of them think he's scary. My hand unfurls and splays across his shoulder, and I feel his scapula underneath his hard muscle.

Before I can stop myself, my lips are pressed against the nape of his neck, and I feel him stiffen underneath me like a bolt of electricity shot through his spine. His skin is hot, and I realize he really does smell like fire.

Timidly, (me,  _timid_ ) I pull away and wait for his reaction.

He lets go of my ankle, which immediately feels the chill of the night air, and slowly straightens. His arm drops from my waist at the same time, and he stares at me.

His expression is harsher and warier than I would like it to be. "What was that?" he asks. His tone is staccato, expressing some of his shock.

"I don't know," I reply honestly. I look down and frown, slipping my heel back on. My ankle feels much better now, thanks to Hiei.

I can't look at him.

"You're a child," he says suddenly. I jump. A bandaged hand goes around my chin, and my face is yanked up to meet his eyes. He doesn't look as cautious as before, but he hasn't relaxed either. There's still a line of tension in his shoulders. "A petulant child that knows only to take and not ask."

His words hurt, and my gaze drops back to the ground. "I'm sorry."

He jerks my chin and I look up at him. His stoplight eyes are hard, and his hand slides from my chin to the back of my head. He's a lot closer to me than I thought he was, I realize, and I feel a coil of fear unravel in my stomach. "What do you want?" he asks.

"I don't know," I reply. I don't know, but I want  _something_.

His fingers dig into my neck, but I barely feel them. "Do you love me?"

"No," I respond, feeling that coil of fear tighten. I wish Sitka was here to tell me what Hiei is thinking.

A cloud passes over the moon, sending us into darkness. Hiei's other arm wraps around my back, yanking me against him into that warm space of body heat, and his mouth is over mine in the next moment. He kisses me ferociously, hard, bruising. But it's warm, hot even, and it gives me something to cling to in an icy black ocean.

He pulls back when the moon comes out again. "Is  _that_  what you want?" he demands, brow furrowed.

After taking a moment to get over my shock, I nod, realizing that's exactly it. I want Hiei's warmth. I want him to thaw the icy ache in my stomach.

He presses his mouth against mine again, gently this time. I respond, curling my hands around his arms. He takes his time discovering me, pressing kisses against my bottom lip and the corners of my mouth. I feel the ice beneath my skin melt.

He pulls away first and takes my wrist again. "It's getting late," he says. "I still have training to do."

"All right," I reply. I press my hand over my chest, hoping Hiei's warmth doesn't leave me in the night. I definitely don't plan on seeking him out tomorrow, because I know I'll be a distraction to him.

I'll spend tomorrow with the girls instead.


	20. Lover to Lover

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twenty: Lover To Lover**

* * *

_And I've been takin' chances,_

_I've been settin' myself up for the fall,_

_And I've been keeping secrets,_

_From my heart and from my soul,_

_Going from row to row,_

_Back to back,_

_Lover to lover,_

_And black to red,_

_But I believe,_

_I believe,_

_There's no salvation for me now,_

_No space among the clouds,_

_And I've seen I'm heading down,_

_But that's all right,_

_That's all right,_

_That's all right,_

_That's all right…_

* * *

Shizuru stares at me. "You  _what?_ "

I clear my throat, shifting my weight and folding my legs underneath me. We are alone in the girls' room, sitting at the warm kotatsu. Shizuru sits across from me, smoking cigarette in her frozen hand, brown eyes wide. The sunlight from the window lights up the golden bracelet on her arm.

"I think I started something with Hiei," I repeat, looking down at the tabletop. There is a groove, like someone scarred the kotatsu with a screw driver, and I dig my thumbnail into it nervously. I wait for my best friend's judgment.

Slowly, she melts and extinguishes her cigarette in a glass ashtray. Her weight shifts and she sits back. "What exactly did you do?"

"I kissed him," I mutter. "And then he kissed me back. Twice."

She frowns. "That sounds to me like he likes you, Alice."

I let my forehead drop on the warm tabletop with a loud  _thunk_. "I know," I mumble into the wood. "He does like me. But he knows I don't feel the same way about him."

Shizuru sighs. "Why did you kiss him then?"

I pick my face up from the tabletop and prop my chin on it. I feel my expression become sullen as my eyes focus on the glass ashtray. Cigarette butts are stacked and standing up like trees from the little glass container - like a cigarette forest. "Loneliness," I reply. "Botan mentioned him yesterday, and then that thing with Kurama -"

"You can't take everything he does to you so personally, Alice, I've told you that," Shizuru says. "He doesn't have any concept of tact when it comes to you. And now look, you're in the same situation with Hiei, and  _you're_  Kurama."

She pulls out another cigarette from her pack and hands it to me, offering me her lighter with it. I take both from her, popping the cigarette between my lips and flipping the lighter open. I inhale the flame onto the end, and return her lighter. "Thanks," I say, watching her light up another cigarette.

"You should end it," she says, exhaling smoke. "As soon as possible."

I nod, inhaling, thinking about the best time. After the finals, for sure, but then I'd need to get him alone. Briefly, I imagined Kurama finding out, and wondered what his reaction would be, but then decide that I don't want to think about that. It's best not to think about Kurama at all.

I take another hit of nicotine.

"So," I begin, changing the subject. "What happened with Sakyo?"

She still exudes a sense of calm, but underneath that, I'm pretty sure her heart leaps at his name. "You asked me that already," she says, turning her eyes down to look at the table.

I feel a devilish grin take hold of my mouth. "You slept with him."

She flicks the ash off her cigarette and gives me a resigned smile. "It was a one time thing."

I blink. "What do you mean?"

She shrugs and doesn't reply, and I think that their relationship must be much more complicated than I can imagine. I really want to ask more, but I get the strong feeling that what's going on between them is something fragile, and she wants to keep it to herself.

I look around the empty room. "Where are the girls, anyway?"

"They went with Atsuko to get beer."

I blink. "It's nine in the morning."

Shizuru snorts.

* * *

We spend the rest of the day drinking and walking around town. There seems to be some sort of festival or celebration going on, like Mardi Gras, except it's a prelude to the finals of the Tournament instead of forty days of Lent.

Crowds and music surrounds us, vendors calling out from their shaded tables offering food, jewelry, alcohol, among other things. There's a conglomeration of colors, from fabrics, to demons, and a mish mash of whoops, yells, and laughter. Everyone is drinking and eating, strangers kissing strangers - actually, Botan was already pulled aside by a rather handsome demon and was given quite a kiss before he disappeared in the crowd.

Keiko and I tease her for over an hour. Her face, already pink from drinking, turns the color of an apple.

I am only distracted by some tofu gyoza and another beer. I think that it's a pretty good lunch, considering that I could have only just had the beer, but Keiko makes me eat grilled zucchini too. She completely ignores the fact that I hate zucchini.

We come upon a rhythmic drumbeat and find ourselves in a circle around a drummer, a flutist, and a woman holding something between a mandolin and a ukulele. The woman starts playing a jaunty thing and melds really well with the drum beats. The flutist joins in, bringing a new level of jovialness to the music, and the circle starts breaking into dancing.

Having had plenty to drink, I find myself twirling around Botan, laughing and clapping my hands to the beat. Her cotton candy eyes are dancing as she spins around me, and we form some sort of human double helix as the peals of the strings and flute move us. Keiko and Atsuko are laughing at us and Shizuru smokes a cigarette with a wry smile. The notes move up and down like peaks of ocean waves, and our feet hit the ground with the drum.

"You're face is so red!" Botan laughs as she spins around me again.

"Your face is a cherry!" I retort, grabbing her hands and pulling them up into a bridge. We twist underneath our arms together and nearly fall over. "You're drunk!" I yell over the music.

"I'm very much sure that we both probably are!" she calls back, with a somewhat slurred trill.

The song comes to an end and we whoop and clap our praises as the musicians take a bow.

"Clearly, we need more to drink!" I say to Botan.

"Agreed!"

We loop arms and I give a wave to the others, shouting that we'll be back soon as another song starts up, and this time I hear bagpipes somewhere behind us. Botan and I stumble through the push of bodies and come to a vendor selling beer. The man behind the counter seems very drunk too, with ruddy cheeks, and jerky movements. He takes our money and pops the lids off of two Sapporos for us, giving Botan a wink.

As we turn away, I burst into laughter at Botan's shocked expression.

* * *

I wake up the next morning in the girls' room, on  _top_  of the kotatsu. Someone is knocking on the door insistently, and it's making my pounding headache worse. I hear one of the girls get up to answer it, and wonder what led me to sleep on top of the table. I don't really remember much of last night.

"Is Alice in here?" I hear Kurama ask.

Ugh.

Keiko is the one who got up. "She's here," she replies softly. "Did you want me to wake her?" I hear the door squeak as it opens wider, and the light from the hallway hits me in the face.

 _Ow_.

Wincing, I roll over, momentarily forgetting I am on top of a table and roll right off the kotatsu. I hit the floor with a thump and a loud curse, and I hear Kurama make an amused sound.

"I think she's awake already. It's fine. I just wanted to know where she was," he says. "See you at breakfast."

Keiko closes the door as I sit up and rub my head. The room is ushered into darkness again with the closed door, except for a crack of light through the heavy curtains on the window, and an alarm clock on an end table. The glowing red numbers read seven o'clock.

Keiko kneels down next to me. "Are you okay?" she whispers.

"Why did I sleep on top of that thing?" I ask softly, getting to my feet. I want to get a glass of water and an aspirin.

She stifles a giggle. "I have no idea. When you get really drunk, you start speaking some strange English that no one can understand."

Probably that southern accent of mine. Or Pig Latin.

"Do you have any aspirin?" I ask, rubbing my head and moving toward the bathroom.

"No," she replies, "sorry."

I sigh and close the bathroom door, and then squeeze my eyes shut to turn on the light. My eyes adjust after a full minute of blinding pain, and I take a look in the mirror. My hair is half up in a failing ponytail, my lips are chapped, and there are circles underneath my eyes. My skin is puffy and dull. I frown. I'm dehydrated.

There's a plastic cup on the bathroom sink, so I unwrap it and down two cups of water. My stomach sloshes when it's full. My headache doesn't let up.

After splashing my face with cold water, I turn off the light and go back into the room. Someone has turned on a yellow lamp, giving the room a dim, gentle light. Shizuru and Atsuko are up, but Botan is still dead to the world. I'm not surprised though. I'm sure she drank more than I did, although, I doubt anyone out-drank Atsuko.

"I'm going to get dressed," I tell them. "See you in a bit."

They wave me off and Keiko slips past me to use the bathroom. I close the door quietly behind me when I leave, and make my way to the elevators.

When I get to my room, I immediately strip down and take a soothing hot shower. My headache dulls a bit as the hot water relaxes my muscles from sleeping on top of the kotatsu. My lavender shampoo helps too, relaxing my overtaxed system.

After a quick, but thorough wash, I turn the water off and comb my hair. But when I flip my head over to wrap my hair in a towel, a wave of dizziness and nausea rushes through me. I force myself to quickly make a turban and straighten slowly, steadying myself with one hand on the sink. After a moment, it passes.

"Okay," I tell myself, wearily. "Brush your teeth."

I do so, feeling my headache come back full force, and rinse my toothbrush off.

"Moisturizer," I say, trying to put an encouraging tone in my voice. It doesn't work, but I rub moisturizer on my face and neck anyway. I screw the lid back on the jar and leave the bathroom, and let myself fall face first on my bed.

I'm out of ibuprofen.

I force myself to get up and get dressed, pulling on a pair of skinny jeans, a floral satin blouse, and a grey blazer over it. I go with my out-of-season yellow pumps because I don't give a damn about fashion today. I have a hangover.

And a towel turban.

I pull it loose, letting damp blonde curls fall down my back. I decide to let my hair air dry. By now my moisturizer has set in, so I rub primer on my face before I put on makeup. After some mattefying foundation, yellow concealer for my eyeball circles, blush, lip balm, eyeliner, and mascara, I begin to look like a human being again.

I put on a little bit of my floral perfume - a very nice one that Shiori got me for Christmas last year, and then I turn off the light and leave the room.

When I get to the hotel's restaurant, it's packed, and my headache increases tenfold. I almost turn to leave, but I feel a hot shoulder suddenly pressed against mine in the crowd, and I turn and see Hiei standing next to me. His eyes rove over my face, and a corner of his mouth ticks up in a smirk.

"You still smell like alcohol," he states.

"I'm going back to bed," I say, defeated.

His hand catches the small of my back and he propels me forward into the restaurant, fingers curling into my side. Of course I can't fight his monstrous strength, so I submit and let him guide me to a table full of our friends. His hand drops from my back when we come into view of them, and I immediately miss the warmth.

All of the boys are at the table, and the only girls missing are Yukina and Botan. I suddenly realize that I hadn't seen Yukina at all yesterday. I'll probably see her today though, and Botan is still likely asleep.

Keiko is sitting next to Yusuke, biting her lip, probably thinking about his upcoming fight and worrying. I can understand her feelings. I remember enough to know that we don't have to worry about them dying, but I'm still nervous too. I don't want them to get hurt.

Beside Yusuke, Atsuko and Shizuru sit next to Kuwabara, who's gulping down a can of juice. Kurama sits next to him, and he looks up and sees me and Hiei first. Kurama's expression brightens and he holds up a bottle of ibuprofen and pushes a glass of water toward me.

"Ah, breakfast," I say, sitting down. Taking the pills, I unscrew the lid and down three of the pills, chasing it with the entire glass of water. Hiei pulls the chair out between me and Keiko and takes his place at the table.

Kurama's expression is amused. "You really shouldn't drink quite so much, Alice. You'll have cirrhosis before you're twenty."

"I'm already twenty. Beyond twenty," I retort. I look around Hiei, ignoring his eyes on me. "Keiko, how much did I drink yesterday?"

Her soft brown eyes roll up to the ceiling as she thinks. "About nine bottles of Sapporo, and then you had two cosmopolitans at that outdoor bar we went to. Or wait, was that Botan?"

"No, I had the cosmos. Botan had daiquiris, because she likes rum. I hate rum." I squint at her in a mock glare. "And zucchini."

Keiko rolls her eyes. "For the last time, I don't care about your passionate hate for the squash family. You can't just live on gyoza and tempura, Alice." She narrows her eyes and gives me a sly smile. "Fried food will make you ugly."

I give her a scowl and then turn back to Kurama. "She added extra beer to that list. I did not drink that much."

Kurama raises his eyebrows. "Oh, so you developed a hangover from breathing?"

I blink. "Yes. I did."

His mouth twists in a wry smile. "You should eat breakfast."

The buffet is closed today, so instead there are servers buzzing around. After a moment, someone comes to wait on us, but apparently everyone else has already ordered and eaten or is in the process of eating. So, I'm the only one to order.

The waiter gives me a flirtatious smile and waits with his pen poised over his pad of paper. "What can I get you, miss?"

"Can I just have, like, a big bowl of fruit?" I ask, gesturing to make a bowl with my hands and giving him a quizzical look. "Whatever you've got?"

His eyebrows go up in surprise. "Sure, that's no problem. Anything else? Coffee, tea?"

"Just water, please," I respond.

He grins, flipping his pad closed. "Coming right up."

After he saunters away, I turn back to the table to find Hiei's eyes on my face. His expression is two shades away from irritated, with his brows slowly pulling together to a point. He looks after the waiter with a mildly disgusted look on his face.

I poke him in his side.

His eyes flash back to me, and I give him a quick smile before turning and dropping in on Keiko's and Shizuru's conversation about a show they've been following on TV. It was a drama that I've seen a few times, centered around a law office in Tokyo. Recently one of the characters was attacked and kidnapped by her client, and the entire cast was scrambling to find her.

"Why didn't they use the police again? Did they threaten against that or something?" Keiko asks.

"Yeah," I answer. "He's holding her ransom because there was too much evidence against him, and she lost the case."

"You watch it?" Shizuru asks, reaching over and tapping ash from her cigarette in an ashtray.

I shrug. "I like dramas."

"What else do you watch, Alice?" Keiko asks curiously. Her face is thoughtful. I bet she's thinking that we really don't know each other super well, but we seem to be getting on nicely in any case.

I find myself frowning at her question though. "I don't know. I don't really watch TV all that much." I turn to Kurama. "What do I normally watch?"

He blinks. "Well, when you watch TV, you normally just watch whatever Mother's watching. She usually watches comedies, romances, and the occasional variety show. But you don't like variety shows, I've noticed."

"I don't?" I ask. Honestly, I hardly pay attention to what I'm watching on TV. Typically, I'm doing homework at the same time. I just like to sit there now and then because I know Shiori appreciates the company.

I bet she's lonely now.

"No," Kurama answers, lightly. "Did you know you scrunch your face when something annoys you? You spend almost thirty minutes scrunching."

Keiko bursts into laughter, and I scowl at him.

"You even scrunch your nose when you scowl. You're doing it right now, actually," he adds, green eyes teasing. He taps my wrinkled nose and I flinch away. A second later Hiei's shoulder presses against mine, and I relax, drawing on that bit of warmth.

I sense someone behind me, and suddenly there is a bowl of mixed fruit place in front of me. I take in the pop of colors, the navy blueberries, pinky-red strawberries, white grapes, soft orange cantaloupe, and the pretty green honeydew, and look up at the waiter. "Thanks," I say brightly.

He smiles and then frowns. "Oh, I forgot your water. I'll be right back." He disappears in the crowd again.

Picking up a bundle of wrapped silverware, I finagle a fork out of the linen napkin and spear a strawberry. It is cold from being refrigerated, but the pop of sweetness in my mouth is appreciated all the same.

"Alice," Kurama says, and I look up at him. His hand circles my chin suddenly, and my face is tipped up to the ceiling, and I'm blinking in confusion. Hiei's warm shoulder goes missing as I'm forced to tip away from him to accommodate Kurama's grasp, and his green eyes finally find mine.

"You have an eyelash," he explains, and my eyebrows go up in annoyance. His thumb brushes the corner of my eye, slowly, as if he is purposely doing this to piss me off. After a very long moment of contemplating how to best murder fox demons, he finally plucks something rather invisible off my cheekbone and blows it away from his fingertips.

I decide stabbing him with a breakfast knife would be ideal, but as he lets me go, his hand covers the nearest one and pushes it out of my reach. He probably saw me look at it.

"Here's your water," I hear above me, and the flirtatious waiter is back. However, this time all the flirt is gone from his expression as he sets the water down next to my bowl. The look he tosses Kurama is rather cold as he walks away.

"Are you  _kidding_  me?" I hiss at Kurama. " _Seriously?_ "

His expression is infuriatingly innocent. "Something wrong?" he asks, eyebrows going together in concern. "They didn't put sugar on the fruit did they?"

My eyes sweep around the table to find everyone else preoccupied. Hiei is the only one not talking or eating, with his arms folded and his eyes closed. His expression is unreadable, but I know he isn't sleeping.

"You're infuriating," I mutter at Kurama.

His eyebrows go up. "Am I?"

"Were you afraid the waiter was going to  _get_  me?" I demand.

His eyes go up to the ceiling and he sighs. "Don't be silly," he says, turning his face back to me. "He was flirting with you, and it was going to turn very uncomfortable since he was planning to ask you for a date."

I narrow my eyes at him. "So, you're taking it upon yourself to screen my boyfriends,  _Dad?_ "

His mouth goes into a line. "Alice -"

"You seem to be forgetting that I'm an adult, Kurama," I say venomously, cutting him off. "Maybe I'm not the best one, but I  _know_  how to handle guys. And you don't get a say in who I date,  _ever_." I stab a square of honeydew viciously.

I'm not really mad that Kurama is protective of me. I guess. I mean, it's just frighteningly  _overprotective_ , and he doesn't even like,  _love_  me, you know? It's like I'm a possession, and I don't really like it. Even if we were dating, that kind of overprotectiveness wouldn't fly with me. It shouldn't fly with anyone.

I hear him give a sigh beside me. "You're right. I apologize for overstepping boundaries." I glance at him just in time to see his green eyes glint with something malevolent. "Shall I ask our waiter to come back?"

I drop my fork in my bowl and stand up. "I'll see you guys later. I'm going to check on Botan."

"O-okay," Keiko says, looking surprised. Her brown eyes sweep to Shizuru, who is glaring daggers at Kurama. Shizuru apparently caught the tail end of the conversation. Keiko looks back at me. "If you see Yukina too…"

"I'll send her over," I reply, pushing my chair in and stepping away from the table. I glance at Hiei and see he's still in the same position - folded arms, closed eyes. I wonder if he'll come along, but it might look weird if we leave together.

Kurama watches me leave with an expression somewhere between annoyance and exasperation.

Winding my way through the staff, the tables, and the customers, I leave the hotel's restaurant and go to the elevators. I suppose I really should go check on Botan. She did have a lot to drink.

I get to the elevators fairly quick, and press the up button. I wait patiently, trying not to fume about Kurama. He's been toying with me more recently - teasing and joking, and I really don't know what to make of it.

 _It's nothing_ , I tell myself.  _Kurama's stupid and you're awesome. Stay awesome and everything will be fine._

The doors open and I slip past them, pushing the button for the tenth floor. I get lucky because no one stops the elevator and I get to go straight up. The doors open a moment later and I step off the lift and head off to the girls' room.

I knock on the door, wondering if Botan's still in there. I don't hear anything behind the door, so I try the knob, but it's locked. I knock again, feeling slightly worried. Could she still be passed out?

"Botan?" I call, knocking harder. "Hey, Botan!"

I feel a hot youki behind me. "She's not in there," I hear Hiei say.

I jump and turn to find him examining me with those stoplight red eyes of his. His mouth is relaxed, but his shoulders are tense again. "Oh," I say, moving away from the door. "Well, it was just an excuse to leave anyway."

"I noticed," he says dryly. His eyes meet mine. "Apologize to Kurama before his fight. He'll dwell on you otherwise."

I scowl. "If you insist."

His expression softens marginally, and his bandaged hand curls around my chin. The dressing is rough against my skin, but his warm hand is soothing. I feel my scowl melt as his thumb runs over my cheekbone.

"You came rather quickly," I say, surprised that he didn't seem to care about leaving after me like that. I guess the others wouldn't think much of it. Except Shizuru. And maybe Kurama.

"You care what they think," he comments, stepping closer to me. He looks slightly amused, but there is confusion behind that expression. He doesn't understand why I want this thing between us to be quiet. Of course, I know Hiei isn't the type to go screaming something from the rooftops, but he isn't above rubbing something in someone's face when it suits him.

"I don't want them to think I'm horrible," I admit.

His eyebrows go up and come down in annoyance. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demands. His hand drops from my face and curls by his side.

I blink at him, surprised by his sudden anger. "Well…it's kind of obvious that I'm using you," I murmur, finding it hard to look at him again.

His hand wraps around my wrist and he starts walking to the boys' room, pulling me behind him like a reluctant horse. Their door swings open as he unlocks it, and he yanks me inside, shutting the door behind me. On the other side, I hear teenage girls giggling in the hallway as they walk by.

I'm slightly glad for the privacy of the empty boys' room, but I still don't know what Hiei will say or do to me in here.

He lets go of my wrist and turns, facing me with slightly narrowed eyes. "I didn't realize you felt so guilty about this. Did you think I didn't notice your motives? Do I look as thick as Kuwabara to you?"

I blink at him. "Of course you aren't stupid, Hiei. I just didn't think -"

"Exactly," he interrupts. "You never think."

I find myself looking at the ground again. "I feel like I'm in  _Twilight_ ," I mutter.

"What?"

I shake my head. "It's a stupid teen romance series. What I meant to say was that I didn't know what you were thinking." I force myself to look at his face. His eyes are examining me again. "You never told me what you thought. I guess you don't have to, but I still feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

He gives me a concerned look. "Are you stupid?"

"Probably."

He mouth pulls into a slight smirk. "You're not taking advantage of me. There isn't a soul alive that would get away with that - least of all a pathetic human girl. If anything," he says, closing the space between us, " _I'm_  taking advantage of  _you_."

I blink at him, becoming very aware that we are alone, and that he is very close to me. "Oh?"

He closes the distance between us and presses his hot mouth against mine in swift kiss. His hand curls under my ear, fingers pressing against my neck, sending a tingle through my body. His other hand claims my waist and he pulls me against him. I don't fight him. I don't want to. I want more of him.

My hand roves over his shoulder, fingers threading through his downy hair above the nape of his neck. My other hand curls into his shirt, fingers brushing his hot skin, and I kiss him urgently. I drink him in like medicine. He shoots through my veins, my synapses, from my pulmonary artery to my alveoli. He's in my skin. He's in my hair.

His mouth crushes mine as he dominates the kiss. His fingers dig painfully in my back before moving down and squeezing my backside. I give a soft moan in his mouth, and my legs are suddenly hitched over his hips and my back is slammed into the door behind me.

It doesn't really hurt, but the way he suddenly pulls away from my mouth does annoy me a little. He's hard against me.

I want him.

But his eyes are closed and his breathing is uneven. His shoulders are hard with tension. He almost looks like he's praying

"Hiei?" I ask, wondering if he's all right.

"Be quiet," he snaps. He opens his eyes, and I can see that he's struggling with something. His mouth presses into a line as his eyes sweep my face. "It's surprisingly easy to forget you're human. If I'm not careful, I could hurt you."

I feel my mouth tug into a frown. "We can stop." I didn't expect it to go this far anyway.

His hands slide from my thighs and he lets my legs down. My heels clack on the floor when they touch the ground and I straighten myself out, tugging my clothes into the right places. Hiei looks fairly well-kept, although the front of his shirt is slightly wrinkled from where I had wrapped my hand in it. I reach over and smooth it out, letting my fingers trace over the hard muscle underneath. He doesn't move, but his face seems relaxed enough.

I lean forward and press a kiss in the corner of his mouth. His hands cup my elbows and his mouth twitches in surprise, but he kisses me back. I pull away after a moment and give him a half-smile. "I'll apologize to Kurama. I'll even be sincere about it."

He gives a sound of amusement.

"The finals are at noon, right?" I ask, glancing at my watch. It's almost nine.

Hiei nods. His hands drop from my elbows and are shoved in his pockets. I think his casual stance is too casual, so I think there's something on his mind.

"Are you nervous?" I ask, furrowing my brow. Hiei is usually very confident in himself, so I doubt that's it.

"Why would I be nervous?" he says, raising an eyebrow at me.

I sigh. I won't get anything out of him unless he wants me to. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking his body language.

There's a kitchenette in the corner of the boys' room, which I didn't notice before. My room, which is small and cheap, doesn't have one. I don't think the girls' room has one either, but their room isn't as big as the boys' either.

I wander over to it, wondering if there is any tea. There is one burner, a kettle, a tiny sink, but I don't see a box of tea anywhere. There is a cabinent under the counter, and I swing the door open, finding a few cups and dishes. I close the door and look back at the counter, seeing that Yusuke and Kuwabara have just thrown their stuff haphazardly over it. Their jackets, a handheld Nintendo, an empty plastic bag, empty coffee cans, balled up pieces of paper, some change, and a lonely sock make up most of the mess.

"Jesus," I mutter. "Yusuke and Kuwabara can sure destroy a room, can't they?"

Hiei approaches me. "What are you looking for?"

"Tea," I reply, pushing a dirty plate away from me with my fingertip. "I've never really lived with boys before. This is…" I trail off, unable to think of a word to do it justice.

"Tell me something," Hiei says, plunging his hand into a pile of junk on the counter. As he pulls his hand out, the pile crumbles and scatters on the floor. He holds a box of tea and hands it to me before continuing. "Why do you talk as if you've lived longer than fifteen years?"

My vision unfocuses and refocuses on the box in my hand. I tap my fingers on the side. I am suddenly reminded that at some point in the near future - I'm going to die. Slowly.

I feel my mouth press in a line and try to keep my expression stoic. I want to tell him a little at least. Only Kurama knows everything, and I want to keep it that way for awhile, but Hiei should still know something. I guess I owe it to him for using him.

I set the kettle on the burner and turn on the gas. "I have," I say, putting the tea down on a clear space on the counter. "Lived longer than I look. Or something."

"Mind elaborating?"

I frown. "You know how with reincarnation your soul is the same, but you get a new body, new memories, new lessons, and completely forget about your past life?"

"Yes," he says, leaning against the counter. "Or so I've heard you humans say."

"In my case, I didn't get  _anything_  new. I didn't forget anything. When I died, I didn't go wherever I was meant to, and somehow got caught in a current to this place," I explain, watching his face. His expressions are minute as always, but I can see some semblence of surprise. "This is the same body I had in my last life. I still have my memories of my family, but they don't exist in this world. This isn't my dimension."

His face turns to me, stoplight red eyes frozen.

"I've spoken to Koenma," I say, bending over to swing open the cabinet door again. I pull out two cups and close the door again, setting them on the counter. "Apparently, I'm not the first this has happened to. Other people from my dimension made it over here too. I'm the third. Do you want some tea?"

"You've already gotten the cup out. You might as well," he answers, eyes lingering on my hands opening the box. "Have you met the others from your dimension?"

Hiei sees my hands freeze. After a moment, I force them to move again without trembling. "No," I reply, pulling out two teabags and dropping them into the cups. "I haven't."

"They're dead, aren't they?"

Why can't you be stupid, Hiei?

"A long time before I showed up," I answer, hoping that'll throw him off. I stare at the tea kettle, willing it to boil.

His hand curls around my neck and he tips my face to look at him. "I know you're hiding something from me. Will you tell me, or do I have to look for myself?" Underneath his bandaged forehead, I can see his purple Jagan glowing.

I sigh and give in. "Yes, they're dead. They died because their bodies weren't made for this dimension." I look away from him. "And mine isn't either."

He frowns and the tea kettle starts whistling loudly.

I twist the knob off the gas harder than necessary and pour the boiling water into the cups. But as I'm pouring water in the last cup, boiling water splashes and hits my hand. I drop the kettle back on the burner and Hiei grabs my wrist. Twisting the cold water knob on the sink, he shoves my hand underneath the running water.

His grip is painfully tight, but I don't tell him because it takes my mind off my burning hand. His eyes are narrow as he watches the water spill from the tap.

"How long have you known this would happen?" he asks.

"Since the Maze Castle mission," I reply. My hand feels like ice, but the part that got burned still stings. I twist my arm. "My hand is okay now."

He lets me go and turns the water off. "And there's no way to stop it?" he asks, watching my face.

The door suddenly swings open and Kuwabara walks in. He stops when he sees us in the kitchenette, eyebrows high on his forehead. "Uh, hey Alice…what are doing here with the shrimp?"

Hiei twists around in annoyance. "We're talking. Hurry up and get out of here you lumbering oaf."

That sets Kuwabara off like a firecracker. "Don't talk to me like that, you jerk! Alice, you shouldn't be alone with guys like him! Who knows what he'll do to you!" he yells, hands clenching into fists as he makes his way over to us.

Hiei and I exchange a brief look of amusement.

"Don't be silly, Kuwabara," I say lightly, stepping in front of Hiei. "I've known Hiei longer than I've known you, and I've been alone with him plenty of times. What did you need?"

Kuwabara scowls but he looks around the room. "I forgot my lucky rabbit's foot."

"What?" I say icily.

He turns to look at me again, explaining. "My lucky rabbit's f- oh. Right." He swallows as I advance on him and pales at my expression. "H-hey Alice, you don't have to get so worked up about it! It's not like it's the whole rabbit!"

" _Not like it's the whole rabbit, Kuwabara?_ " I hiss, trembling with fury. "Is  _that_  supposed to make me feel better? Because  _just_  the furry little  _paw_  is okay? Have you ever seen a real rabbit, Kuwabara?" I demand, grabbing the lapels of his white jacket. " _Do you know how fucking cute they are?_ "

"Gyah! I'm sorry, Alice!"

"Tell that to the dead bunny!"

"What on earth is going on here?" I hear Kurama ask as the door shuts behind him.

Hiei answers for us. "Alice is about to murder the oaf over a dead animal."

I look up from glaring at Kuwabara to see Kurama standing next to me. His expression holds a note of amusement, but then he frowns at me. "Alice, if you kill Kuwabara, will you be willing to face Shizuru?"

I scowl at him and let Kuwabara go. Kuwabara scrambles away from me, holding his chest, eyes wide. "You don't need it," I tell him, annoyed.

"Yes, ma'am!" he cries fleeing the room. The door slams shut behind him.

Kurama sighs. "I think you scare him more than the Toguro brothers. Was there something you needed in here?"

"No," I answer, glancing at Hiei. "We were just talking."

Kurama's eyelids drop slightly and he examines my face. His hand comes up and he leans down, fingertips tracing a spot on my chin. "Did someone grab you?" he asks curiously.

I blink at him. Is my face red from Hiei gripping my chin? I didn't think he squeezed it hard at all, but it might have been the bandages on his hand. "No," I tell Kurama innocently. "I might have itched my face a moment ago. My skin gets dry in the winter."

His eyes drift over my face and above my head, looking past me to Hiei. His expression is largely unreadable, but the way he looks at Hiei so intently tells me he knows something's up.

"I see," he says, hand lingering on my skin for a moment too long.

I slide away from Kurama. "I boiled some water. Do you want tea?" I ask, moving back to the kitchenette. I move around Hiei and hand him his teacup, and he takes it from me with exaggerated slowness. His fingers brush against mine, sending a burst of heat through me, but his eyes are on Kurama.

"I suppose," Kurama replies, green eyes watching the exchange between me and Hiei.

I bend over and open the cabinet under the counter again, pulling out another cup, and I pretend to shift something around inside. I want to hide my face a moment. Kurama definitely knows something's going on between us. I really, really hope he doesn't ask, because I'll have to be honest and answer.

 _I don't know, Kurama_.  _I don't know a goddamned thing_.

Please believe me.

I finally straighten, cup in hand, and set it on the counter. Popping open the box of tea again, I drop a bag inside the cup and  _carefully_  pour the hot water inside. I leave it to steep and pick up the cup I originally made for myself and turn to give it to Kurama. He takes it from me just as slowly as Hiei did, but as soon as the cup is in his hand, he takes my wrist and examines the reddened back of my hand.

"What happened here?" he murmurs.

The sun that had been lighting the room dims as a cloud rolls over the sky, and grey filters through the windows. I pull my hand out of his grasp. "I had a fight with the tea kettle earlier," I say jokingly to diffuse the tension. "We ran it under cold water."

"We?" Kurama asks, and I force myself not to flinch at my mistake. His green eyes go back to Hiei, and I hear the sound of his cup hitting the counter behind me.

"Hiei helped," I add lightly, stepping back and picking up the new teacup. It's still too hot to drink though, so I twirl the teabag inside a bit.

Kurama's eyes are still on Hiei. "Really now?"

I change the subject swiftly, knowing that this is going nowhere good. "About earlier Kurama, I wanted to apologize for getting angry with you. It was uncalled for." I set the cup down and gave him a shrug with a slight smile. "You were only looking out for me. You even gave me painkillers."

His smile is small, but warm. "Apology accepted."

I look away, fighting the swoop in my stomach. Kurama's smile is a frightening weapon.

He turns and picks up a few seeds that were on the counter, pocketing them. "I'll see you both later. If you were still looking for Botan, Alice, she's talking to Koenma downstairs. She's nursing quite a headache too. You girls should really curb your drinking."

"Right," I say, watching him open the door.

He sends a last look over his shoulder and smiles, letting the door close behind him.

As soon as he's gone, I sink down to the floor, and put my face in my knees. "Hiei, I'm going to die now."

"Stop being melodramatic," he says. "He rejected you,  _several_  times, might I add - he doesn't have any say over what you do."

I hold up my arm over my head, feeling the rose bracelet slide down my forearm. I twist my arm back and forth so I can be sure Hiei's attention is on the jewelry, even with my face hidden. "Then what's this?" I ask, desperation tinging my tone.

I hear him sigh. "It's  _just_  a bracelet. Did Kurama proclaim his love for you from the rooftops when he put it on you? No, he didn't. And he's not going to. Now, get off the floor."

I straighten up, frowning and immediately curl my arms around Hiei's waist, burying my face in his warm neck. I'm not going to cry or anything, but it's nice to know that I don't have to just rely on myself when it comes to Kurama. No one knows him quite like me and Hiei.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm reveling in our camaraderie," I reply, smiling in his neck.

His left arm returns the embrace, and I wonder if he's ever really been hugged like this. "You didn't answer my question earlier."

"Which one?"

"The one to do with preventing your death," he says, hand gripping my shoulder and pulling me back to look at me.

I don't meet his eyes. "There is…but I don't like it. Kurama says he'll force me into it."

He frowns, irritated. "Will you stop being cryptic?"

"My cellular structure is too dense for this dimension, so Koenma developed a procedure to turn me into a demon to change it," I explain, look back at his face, frowning.

His eyebrows go up. "You don't want to be a demon?" he asks incredulously. "Are you insane?"

I scowl. "It's not like it's an easy decision for me. I'm a human. I like being a human. If I were anything else I wouldn't really feel like me anymore, and if I don't feel like me, then what's the point?"

Hiei apparently doesn't have an answer for that. He just picks up his teacup again and sips from it.

"Hiei, is my chin that noticeably red?" I ask, tipping my face up. "Or was he just full of it?"

His eyes fall on my face over his cup. He sets his tea down on the counter with a hollow clack, and his fingers brush my exposed neck. Leaning forward, his eyes narrow slightly. "It's fine. I'm still learning the limited amount of strength I can use on you."

"Ah," I say, pressing my mouth against his. His mouth opens slightly in surprise, and I take advantage, nipping his bottom lip. His hands curl around my waist, fingers digging into my sides, and he takes control of the kiss. His hot tongue slips into my mouth, sending shivers down my spine and a rush of heat through my body. I want more of him again.

He pulls away from my lips though and looks at me, red eyes unreadable.

I wait, getting the feeling that there's something he wants to say.

"Are we a thing now?" he finally asks.

I blink, not expecting that. But I suppose defining our relationship is something that should be done, especially if he gets too territorial about me. Then again, I don't imagine this lasting long if Shizuru is right about me stopping it if he really develops feelings for me. I can't have that right now. It's not fair to him when my head's still a mess from Kurama.

Shizuru is probably right though. Really. For now, I need to direct this  _thing_  to a place that has no room for love.

Because this really, really isn't that sort of thing.

Hiei's still waiting for my answer. "I don't think…I'm your girlfriend," I finally murmur, finding it hard to meet his eyes again. "I really like you, Hiei, but being someone's girlfriend is something I'm not capable of right now. It isn't fair to you."

He looks away. "Did you think a girlfriend was something I wanted? You're sorely mistaken." His eyes come back to me. "I will not be led around like Keiko leads Yusuke. I'm not a dog."

I blink at him. I think, no, I  _know_  he's covering for his pain, but for the sake of his pride I go along with it and smile. "You already gave me a dog anyway. I don't need another one." I do feel a bit slighted that he would think that I would treat him like an animal (but really, considering how I treat animals, it's not like he has anything to worry about), and in defense of my female pride I add, "But just so you know I'm a great girlfriend. I've always treated my boyfriends well."

His mouth pulls into a smirk. "Have you now?"

"Yeah."

"Show me."

I blink at him. "Show you?"

He takes a step toward me, forcing me to take a step backward. His hand comes up and curls around my neck, holding me in place. "Do something for me that you've always done for your boyfriends. Something intimate." His smirk is daring, and his red eyes are wicked. I'm not sure what he's pushing for, but I don't think it's necessarily something sexual.

I think for a moment. "Okay, I've got it." I take his arm and tug him toward the living room. It's actually fairly innocent, what I have in mind, but it works occasionally as foreplay. His hand drops from my neck and he follows me to the couch. I prop myself on the back and gesture for him to sit down on the cushion under my feet. "Sit here in front of me a minute."

His expression curious, he sits in front of me like I ask, and I start kneading his shoulders. He tenses in surprise, but I still continue.

"You give your boyfriends massages?" he says, resting his shoulders between my knees. The tension doesn't leave his body much, but he still presses against me. "I suppose this is normal behavior for humans?"

"This isn't for demons?" I ask, surprised, moving my hands down his back rubbing around his shoulder blades.

He scoffs. "Not hardly."

"Hm," I say, dropping my hands from his back.

He turns his head, red eyes flashing with annoyance over his shoulder. "I didn't say stop."

I feel a smirk tug on my mouth. "Do you like it?" I ask, stroking my fingers down his neck to his shoulders. Hiei has a lot of tension, but no knots surprisingly.

He turns to face the front. "It's what I expect from you. You're an affectionate lover," he observes. His tone is almost bored, but I can see the corner of his face from the angle I'm sitting. His eyes are closed. I wonder if this is the most he relaxes.

The light outside changes again, and the sun brightens the room. Blue-tinted koorime heritage shows up in Hiei's raven hair, like a flash of a smile.

"So, how does your dimension differ from this one?" he asks, slouching slightly so that I can reach other parts of his back.

"Mm, a lot of things are the same actually," I reply thoughtfully, curling my fingers and scratching his lower back. "I think the major difference is the demons. In my world, they're immortal. I don't have the ability to kill them there like I can here."

His head turns to look around at me, brow furrowed. "Immortal?"

I nod. "Have you heard of the Fallen?"

"No."

I shift my weight so I'm at more of an angle to him. "Okay, I'm actually a bit sketchy on the details, and I'm not a theologist, but here's what I know. Once upon time," I begin with a slight grin, "there was an Archangel named Lucifer. For some reason, and there are dozens of possible theories, he tried to overthrow God. Some say he was power-hungry, and others say that he was jealous of humankind. I personally think he was jealous."

"Why?" Hiei asks, raising his eyebrows. I mean, who could ever be jealous of a human, right?

I fold my hands and prop my chin on them. "Well, in my dimension at least, human souls are designed to evolve - and I'm talking about a level equivalent to God's. God made us in his image, you see, and Archangel Lucifer didn't like the idea of humans gaining rank over him. So I think when he found out God's plan to make us, that's when he led a league of angels into rebellion. And since God doesn't take betrayal well, he cast out Lucifer and all the choirs of angels that rebelled from heaven and sent them crashing into earth. And that's how they turned into the Fallen."

"And so what does the Fallen have to do with the demons of your dimension?" he asks, turning to face me better.

"Before them, there were no demons. The demons of my world are what remains of the angels who rebelled, and since angels never really live - they can't ever die." I shrug. "I was Yusuke's age when I had my first demonic experience. I stayed up really late one night and noticed that there was an unmistakable sense of hatred emanating from my bedroom closet. I thought it was a ghost at first, but I figured out  _real quick_  that it was a demon." I give a shudder when I remember the feeling of being watched.

Have you ever seen  _Paranormal Activity_? Yeah. Except the demon I dealt with wasn't that high in level.

"I remember waking up one morning - my alarm clock was going off, and my mom was up trying to get my sisters ready for school - and I turn to look at my alarm clock," I tell Hiei, feeling shivers going up my arms. "And it's completely going insane. The red numbers are flashing, changing, and the alarm's going  _crazy_. And behind it there's this shadow, and it's a shadow that really doesn't belong there because there isn't anything to cast one, and I can just feel this  _huge_  demonic force. So I end up ripping my alarm clock out of the wall, hurling it across the room, and flying out of there like a bat out of hell."

Hiei's arm wraps around my waist and he pulls me down on the couch beside him. He smirks. "That's their master plan? To scare humans into submission with alarm clocks? Compared to my plan to use the Shadow Sword to turn the human race into mindless low-class demonic drones?"

I smile. He's trying to disarm my unease and make me feel better. "Well, it's not really about submission, Hiei. It's about keeping human souls from evolving. But you're definitely scarier."

"You're not afraid of me," he says, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever seen you afraid of me. Even when I held that sword to your throat."

I crack a grin at him. "You're scary to other people, I mean."

He continues to give me that slightly puzzled look. "I don't understand that silly human brain of yours.  _Why_  haven't you ever been afraid of me?"

I frown. "I don't know, really. Well, Koenma did tell me once that he gave you Sitka to give to me because I trust you a lot. So maybe that's it."

Hiei lets go of me and gets to his feet. His eyes are narrowed in annoyance. "You can't trust so blindly and easily, you little fool. That's how you get killed." His eyes narrow a fraction more. "Or your stupid little heart broken."

I look away, forcing Kurama out of the forefront of my mind. "Right."

"It's getting close to noon. You should go find the other girls," he says, shoving his hands in his pockets. His shoulders are stiff as he turns away. I really don't know why he's so mad at me.

I get to my feet, slipping my heels back on, and scowl at his back. "Fine then. I'll see you at the finals."

I move to the door, but he stops me by grabbing my arm. His red eyes are hesitant, uncertain, like he really isn't sure he should just let me walk off like that. His hand around my forearm tightens, and he pulls me closer to him.

"Don't die or anything," I mutter, looking away from him.

His hand curls around my chin, and he forces me to face him. "Don't give me that," he snaps. "That same sulky expression you give Kurama when you're angry at him." His stoplight red eyes flash at me as his mouth pulls into a hard scowl. "I won't put up with your temper like he will," he says, eyes narrowing.

I try to pull away from him, but his grip around my arm only tightens painfully. "We're not dating, Hiei. You don't have to," I growl, glaring at him. "You're hurting me."

His hold immediately slackens, and he frowns.

I'm forcing him into a corner. Definitely not my intention. I smile at him. "I don't like it when you just suddenly get mad at me out of nowhere. It isn't fair to me, especially when you don't tell me why."

I'm very certain at this point that Hiei's experience with girls is severely limited after all.

He lets me go and looks away, shoving his hands in his pockets. He turns back to me, mouth in a flat line. "Earlier you said you know how to handle guys, but that's not completely true, is it? You only know how to handle the stupid ones, the ones that let you manipulate them. The ones that let you chew them up and spit them out."

I blink at him. "Are you calling me a man-eater?"

He raises his eyebrows. "Are you not aware of what you are? The way you move, the way you walk, the way you dress, everything about you is sensual. When you look at a man, you can make him feel like he's the only one you see with just the right tilt of your head and the right flirtatious smile. You're a terrible flirt, by the way." His eyelids dip slightly, letting little slivers of bright red peek out as he looks at me. "You're alluring, and acting like you don't know it annoys me."

Okay, fine, I admit it. I am a complete and intolerable flirt. I haven't always been, but once I got out of high school and started working and living in the real world, I discovered how much fun flirting really is. I made flirting into an art form. I've used it as a tool to get the best service, to get out of speeding tickets, to get out of having to stay late at work, and to get extra tips from my stint of waiting tables in Austin. I'm probably really about a six, but looks don't matter that much if you're confident in yourself and you've got a knack for making people like you.

I sigh at Hiei. "So what's your point? You jealous of the waiter too?"

His eyes flash at me. "Of course not, you idiot. My point is that you easily underestimate men by thinking they're morons for falling for you. Not only  _that_ , but when you can't get the one you want -" he cuts himself off, clenching his jaw.

"What, Hiei?" I demand, clenching my fists.

He sighs. "What do I care? Like you said, we aren't dating." He turns away again, looking out the window. The sunlight plays on his face and lights up the blue in his hair again. His back is straight, but he still looks relaxed.

I frown at him. I think of when he came and got me out of the rain, how tightly he held me, how he let me sleep beside him. Earlier when Kurama was here, and Hiei very pointedly trailed his fingers over mine as he took the cup from me. At first I thought he had done it to give me a bit of that warmth that I needed in that moment, but maybe it was more for Kurama's sake. Maybe it was a signal for Kurama to back off.

"You're protective of me," I say with sudden enlightenment.

He freezes and then turns to face me, eyes narrowing. "Don't be stupid. Go find the other girls like I told you to."

I approach him, curling my hands around the back of his head. His hair is soft against my hands, and his eyes widen at the sudden contact. He doesn't pull away from me though, surprisingly.

"I like it," I murmur, pressing a kiss against his mouth. He responds, hands curling around my waist, heat sinking into me. I can sense a hint of pleasure from him as he deepens the kiss, one hand moving up to curl in my hair. His kisses are slow, and even slightly possessive.

"Do you?" he murmurs against my lips. He turns his attention to my neck, trailing hot kisses down my skin.

"Very much," I groan, curling my fingers in his soft hair. His kisses send shudders of pleasure through me. His hand slips under my shirt and trails up my spine, leaving a hot streak of lightning behind it. I press myself into him and nuzzle his shoulder. "You're  _really_  good at this."

His lips find mine again suddenly, and his mouth turns demanding, and suddenly  _both_  of his hands are up my shirt. He leaves lightning on my sides, my stomach, and one of his hot hands sweeps up and caresses my breast. I press myself into his hand, as my own pull his shirt loose from his pants. I shove my hands under his shirt and let my fingertips discover every inch of hot skin hidden underneath.

This is how Yusuke finds us.

" _Holy hell!"_ he yelps, closing the door as soon as he swings it open.

I break away from Hiei's mouth, panic rising up in me. Hiei pulls his hands out of my shirt and steps away, staring at the closed door in surprise. His brow furrows. "I didn't sense him coming," he mutters.

"You were admittedly distracted," I say, straightening my clothes. I stop. "Did you unhook my bra?"

"It was in the way."

I smirk at him, rehooking it.

"Is it safe to come in now?" I hear Yusuke ask warily on the other side of the door. The knob turns slightly and the door cracks open. I can feel his palatable curiosity, panic, and embarrassment at discovering us.

"You can come in now," I say, shifting my weight uncomfortably. I wonder how much skin he saw.

The door opens all the way, and I see Yusuke looking pale. His eyes dart from me to Hiei and back again. "What the hell is going on here?"

"What do you think, Detective?" Hiei snaps. His shirt is still loose from where I yanked it free from being tucked in his pants, and there is the slightest tinge of pink on his cheeks. His red eyes flash angrily at Yusuke.

"Well, excuse me for thinking you were asexual. The only girl I've ever seen you interested in is Yukina, and she's your sis-" Yusuke's jaw suddenly snaps shut as his eyes fly to me.

I blink cluelessly. Very cluelessly.

Hiei's glare increases tenfold. "Watch your mouth, Yusuke. You may find my sword shoved down your throat one day."

Yusuke grimaces, and his brown eyes land on me where it seems safest for him to focus his attention. A look of amusement crosses his face. "So, Alice…I didn't know Hiei was your type. But I guess after saving you from hypothermia, it makes sense."

I frown at him. "It's not like that. Anyway, I'd appreciate you keeping this quiet for now."

He blinks. "No one knows? Not even Kurama?"

I feel my eyes narrow. "No."

Yusuke's face splits into an  _evil_  grin. "So I'm keeping this quiet? And what am  _I_  getting out of it?"

I raise my eyebrows, putting my hands on my hips. "The satisfaction of knowing something no one else does. You can lord it over everyone's heads later, can't you?"

Yusuke looks thoughtful, but then he shakes his head. "Nah, I'm not that easy."

I scowl at him and then glance at Hiei. My not-boyfriend shrugs. I really doubt he cares either way, considering it's not really his problem. Maybe I am too consumed with Kurama finding out. I mean, really, what's he gonna do? Ground me?

"Fine, Yusuke," I say, shrugging at him. "I was really wanting to keep everyone's focus on the finals, but I guess it doesn't matter that much. Do what you want."

Yusuke snorts. "Fine, fine, I'll keep your dumb secret. Keep your hair on."

I roll my eyes. "I'm going to find the other girls. See you both later." I sweep past Yusuke through the still open door.

"Wait," Yusuke snickers, "you're not gonna kiss your boyfriend goodbye? You're French, right?" He turns to Hiei, waggling his eyebrows. "So, does that ever come into play, buddy?"

Hiei's red eyes narrow dangerously. "I would sooner slit your throat than tell you anything about my sex life, Detective."


	21. Endlessly, She Said

**Alice Alive**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Endlessly, She Said**

**By, Kajihenge Yoko**

* * *

_Still each time I always meant,_

_Every word,_

_Every one,_

_Though in time they finally bent,_

_Every word,_

_Every one._

_Every word._

" _I will wait for you," she said,_

" _Endlessly."_

" _I will wait for you," so spoke,_

_Misery._

_I returned to you but found,_

_My empty home,_

_The radio told me to stay,_

_As it burned down,_

_I sang alone,_

_You will outlast my love._

* * *

Botan's face is lackluster and clearly upset. Her downcast pink eyes are disappointed, and we can all tell that she's angry with herself. Keiko holds Puu to comfort herself more than anything, and Shizuru and I exchange a grimace. Yukina stands silently to the side, and Atsuko tips her head back and looks at the steadily graying sky.

"Come on man, have a heart! I've been here since last night," a blue demon teenager explains to the beefy ticket-taker.

"Yeah, well I've been here two nights," says another demon.

Another one flips his hair out of his face, giving a scoff. "Lighten up, dude. We won't tell if you won't."

The ticket-taker unfolds his huge arms and swings a huge club at the crowd around him. "How many times do I have to tell you jerks? You'd best back up before I take your heads off. You ain't got no ticket, you ain't got no seat. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it, got me?"

Keiko's shoulders slump.

"It sounds like it's impossible for us to get in," Yukina says, turning to us.

Botan puts her hands together, frowning. "I'm sorry girls, I was so preoccupied when I spoke to Koenma, I completely forgot to ask about tickets. I'm afraid we won't be able to watch the fights."

Shizuru's eyes light up and she cracks her knuckles. Atsuko's eyes fall on her in a grin. "Well you know what they say," Shizuru says, looking at me. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

I return her grin.

"You're not gonna charge the bouncer again, are you?" Keiko asks, worried. She glances between me and Atsuko.

"Unless you have a better idea?" Shizuru asks, raising her eyebrows.

"You're also forgetting I'm an exorcist," I tell Keiko, putting my hands on my hips. "The bouncer's no problem for me alone, but if you feel like punching him, Shizuru, Atsuko, I'll let you two take care of it."

"Attack is really our only option," Yukina says thoughtfully, eyeing me.

Botan brightens up. "Why, Yukina, you're just full of surprises!"

"Hmm," Shizuru murmurs, looking across the crowd. A green-skinned demon has caught her eye, and he returns her surprised look. He's got curly black hair pinned under a beret, and bright yellow eyes. He gives off a sleaze ball vibe as he saunters over.

"Well, what do we have here? It's the oh-so-lovely friends of Koenma. You know, this day just keeps getting better!" he says, stopping in front of us.

"I know you," Botan says, pointing at him accusingly. "You're that sleazy scalper who tried to con Koenma into buying those fourth-rate tickets!"

The scalper laughs. "How nice of you to remember me. I'm touched! I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I couldn't help noticing you foxy ladies are in need of a hand, eh?"

"Foxy ladies?" I mutter, twitching.

"Well, we sure as hell don't need one of yours," Shizuru snaps.

"Oh I see, my mistake," he says, slipping his hand into his coat's inner pocket. He pulls out six tickets and waves them in the air. "Well, then I suppose you wouldn't mind me selling these elsewhere, huh?"

"Um, are those what I think they are?" Keiko asks, peering at his hand.

"You bet they are, sweet stuff, and they happen to be six of the best seats in the house," he laughs, "And for you I might be willing to part with these for about five-thousand clams a piece!"

Shizuru suddenly snatches the tickets out of his hand, and looks at them in disbelief. "Jeez, I'm such an idiot! Can you believe the tickets were in my hand the entire time?"

" _Hey!_  You better give those back!"

Shizuru moves the tickets behind her back and waves them there pointedly. "I guess I could be wrong, but these look a lot like our tickets. Don't they?"

Keiko nods, uncertainly.

"Botan?"

She seems just as hesitant, but she claps her hands together anyway. "Yes, those are definitely our tickets! Definitely!"

I grin at Botan who quickly uncaps a marker. She quickly takes the tickets from Shizuru's hand and scribbles our names on all of them,  _demonically_   _fast_. Her face turns more and more kitty-like with every passing millisecond.

"All right, girls, that's very funny, but the joke's over! Just give me back my tickets, okay?"

Shizuru's mouth widens into a smirk. "But our names are on them. They must be ours," she says smugly, as Botan slips her ticket in her hand. She hands out all of them, putting her own into her very kitty-like mouth.

"What do you  _mean?_ " the scalper snaps, getting more and more agitated.

"Here," Shizuru says, holding up her ticket. Her name is written boldly in a fuschia marker.

Yukina and Keiko hold up their tickets too, smiling slightly. "Here, see?" they say. I hold mine up too, showing the bold katakana that made up my name, giving him a devilish grin. Atsuko shoves hers in his face, with a loud  _"See, jackass?"_.

Botan grins through the ticket in her mouth. "Told you so," she says in sing-song, capping her marker.

"Thanks for holding them for us, though," Shizuru says lightly.

The scalper sighs in defeat, pushing his beret back and tugging on his hair. The crowd behind him babbles in amusement at the exchange.

"You see, we really didn't need your help after all," Shizuru says, walking away, with a flip of her hair. I never realized my best friend was so sassy until this moment. I giggle and trail after her.

"Thank you for our tickets," Yukina says politely.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding," Keiko says.

"Hope you learned that it won't pay to take advantage of people!" Botan adds.

I hear the scalper sigh again as the other girls follow us. "I could never resist the charms of one beautiful woman, much less six crafty ones," he mutters.

Atsuko bursts into laughter as we make our way down the corridor. She claps a hand on Shizuru's shoulder. "Did you see his  _face?_ "

We crack up about it the entire way into the stadium, praising Shizuru's brilliance and quick reflexes.

When we come to a stop at the end of the corridor, and look down at the stadium in surprise. Something is wrong. Juri looks annoyed, holding her long green mermaid tail in one hand and glaring at our team.

"Both teams need to find a player soon. Because if you don't, I'll be forced to disqualify you and forfeit this match, and that's  _not good_ ," she snaps into her mike.

I see Toguro smirk under his sunglasses across the stadium, tipping his chin up at Juri slightly. He says something that I can't quite hear. A second later though, the large triangular doors behind him open, and out steps Sakyo. He saunters calmly into the arena, looking as sharp as usual in his very expensive suit. Gucci, maybe?

"What's going on?" Keiko asks. "Why is everyone just standing around?"

I blink, realizing that I must have gotten ahead of the rest of them without realizing it. "I think they're each short a player. Juri just said they each need another."

"Oh," she murmurs in reply.

Yukina peers down at Sakyo coming through the doors. "Does anyone know who that strange man at the gate is?"

I glance at Shizuru, who's squinting down at the arena. She gasps when she can see him properly.

"It's Sakyo," I answer Yukina, taking the attention off Shizuru. "He's the owner of Team Toguro."

Botan blinks at me. "How do you know that, Alice?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. "Kurama told me."

"Hey, Shizuru," Keiko says beside me. I glance up and see Shizuru's spacing out. There is a mild look of horror in her eyes, like when she gets a premonition. "Earth to Shizuru!"

She blinks, snapping into focus.

"Is something wrong?" Keiko asks.

Shizuru masks her true feelings like she normally does. She forces a smile. "No, just a little dizzy."

A demon growls loudly nearby, in the column to the left of us, three rows down. "Hey, does that big-shot even  _know_  how to fight?" he yells.

Sakyo apparently heard him, from all the way down at the bottom of the arena. I wonder about the acoustics of this stadium. Sakyo's head picks up and he eyes the general direction the demon's yell came from. "Well, to be honest, I don't even plan to participate in this match. Granted, my prescence allows Toguro to continue, but all it means for me is a better view. I'll stake my life on Yusuke's team being defeated before my turn arrives." He pauses. "Now let's begin."

I blink, still a bit amazed that I heard him. He must be at a good place down there where the sound waves of his voice bounce up to me.

The audience cheers and Koto yells into her microphone. "That's what I call putting your mouth where you money is!"

Juri still looks annoyed. "Toguro is prepared, now present  _your_  fighter or the finals are  _over_ ," she says to Yusuke.

Yusuke has the same grimace he did when he walked in on me and Hiei. Kuwabara nudges him, muttering something to him. Juri looks on with one hand on her hip, and one eyebrow cocked, waiting.

After a moment, Juri makes up her mind. "Since Team Urameshi has failed miserably to produce a fifth player, Team Toguro will be named the winners by default!"

"Hold it, missy!" I hear a familiar voice say. "Patience is a virtue!"

Trumpets sound suddenly, and the triangular doors behind the boys crack open, spilling smoke into the arena. After the smoke clears, I see Koenma standing there in his human world form.

If you haven't noticed this about Koenma's human world form, he's kind of dreamy. He sort of reminds me of a young Leonardo DiCaprio, except maybe a bit taller. He's got clear brown eyes, porcelain skin, and every iota of him screams  _prince_. Koenma looks like he just stepped out of a shoujo manga, really.

"Let's sit down," Botan says, glancing at her ticket. She spots the gap of empty seats to our left, past the demon who yelled at Sakyo. "This way, girls!"

We follow her, and squeeze past the demons already sitting in the row, and take our seats.

Koenma approaches the rest of the guys, flipping his red cape over his shoulder. He's clearly saying something to the rest of them, but I can't make it out. Maybe because he's facing away from me.

Botan leans forward, raising her eyebrows. "So this is what he meant when he told me he had business to attend to."

"Way to go, Koenma, sir! You knock him dead!"

We look over to our right just in time to see George the ogre burst into tears. I  _think_  they're tears of pride, but I decide I'm not really interested.

Below us, Kuwabara points a finger at Koenma's chest. "I don't think this is a great idea - we don't even know if he can fight!"

"Believe it or not," I hear Koenma say, "fighting is not high on my list of priorities. So, I've implemented an escape route." Koenma whips around suddenly and his long red cape flips up to reveal a green jetpack attached to his back. "The KoenmaTron 5000!"

For a brief second, I let the image of a chibi Koenma come to mind, soaring off into the sunset, and calling,  _"Later, bitches~!"_

But, really, that's probably more Yusuke than anything.

Beside me, Botan nearly leaps out of her seat. "I can't  _believe_  him!" she yells, hands forming claws. "Augh!"

In the arena, Yusuke brings his fists up saying, "Let's go." He turns to face Juri, but she holds up her hand.

"Wait a second, you can't just switch! The rules say that a new player can't be brought in unless an original player is dead," she protests.

I blink. "Dead?"

Dead.

Oh…God.

Oh, God!  _Genkai!_

Beside me, Botan flinches. Her face crumples for a second before she puts on a forced smile.

How could I forget that happening? I even felt Toguro's energy, and her energy with it! Kurama practically gave it away the day before yesterday! Am I really,  _really_  that  _stupid?_

I bit back a pang of melancholy with the knowledge that Koenma had plans to bring her back to life. It's not like I'd ever really talked to her or anything, but losing her is still upsetting. Especially when my eyes fall on Yusuke's tense shoulders. I know how much he cared about her.

 _Cares_ , I tell myself firmly.  _She'll be back_.

"About that," Yusuke begins, hesitating.

"It's all right, I don't mind," Sakyo says, still in the range of acoustics that will allow me to hear what he's saying.

Juri shrugs. I don't think she really cares, honestly.

"All right!" Koto exclaims, "There's finally a full roster, so get ready for the bloodiest massacre of the Dark Tournament, yet! Ladies and gentlemen, it's taken us seven  _long_  days to get here - welcome to the finals!"

And with that, Karasu approaches the ring and stares at Kurama. His index finger goes to his temple and flicks away, like he's miming a gun going off.

Kurama's green eyes narrow as he looks past Kuwabara (who's saying something while punching one hand into the other), and then he moves forward as well.

"It's been decided," Juri announces, as Kurama and Karasu step up onto the ring. "We will begin the final with Team Toguro's Karasu, and Team Urameshi's Kurama!"

"Folks, I guess you could say this whole Tournament has been one heck of a rollercoaster, and finally,  _finally_ , we can get to the most awesome loop-de-loop part of the ride!" Koto exclaims.

The crowd cheers, yells exploding from the stands. Atsuko waves a large bottle of sake in the air, adding her voice to the shouts.

 _Man_ , Koto can sure work a crowd.

"By the sound of the stands, everyone is a fan of the tall, dark, and gruesome Karasu!" she continues.

"We're rooting for Team Urameshi!" Atsuko bellows, waving her sake bottle in the air.

"Are you kidding me?" Keiko demands, glaring down at Koto. "You couldn't  _pay_  me to root for that vampire wannabe weirdo!"

"I don't know," Shizuru jokes, "he does have some beautiful hair."

"Don't forget your stretches, Koenma, sir!" George exclaims. I blink, surprised to see him on the other side of Botan. He must have moved when I was thinking about Genkai. He's holding a huge, spiky club that's as long as I am tall. He gives it a look of surprise. "Huh? This was supposed to be Koenma's. Guess I'll just use it to scare people." He pumps it in the air above his head and starts yelling, " _Kurama, Kurama!_ "

We pick up his cheer and start shouting with him. "Go Kurama! You can do it!"

"Your hair is much prettier!" I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth.

His shoulders twitch, so I know he heard me, and I snicker into my hands.

Yusuke looks up at us, frowning, probably thinking that we're going to start a riot in the stands.

Kurama and Karasu face off, and Juri lifts her hand. "If everyone could give me their attention please, I'll explain the rules of the ma -"

"Come on, lets see some blood!"

"Let's go!"

Demons start heckling Juri, and I sort of feel bad for her, but Botan's looking glum again. Keiko notices this time too.

"You don't look so good," she says, shifting Puu in her arms. "Are you feeling okay?"

Botan jumps at Keiko's words, and she immediately forces a smile that swiftly turns into her kitty-face. "I'm feeling  _great!_  In fact so great, all I want to do is smile! Hahaha! You know, there should be a law against feeling this great!"

Keiko takes her words at face value, while Shizuru and I exchange a look. She sighs.

"Hey, where's the old lady?" Atsuko asks. "Why ain't she in the final?" She frowns thoughtfully, glassy eyes narrowing slightly. "I wonder if the semifinals were too hard on her? What do you think, Botan?"

"Huh? Oh, right, right," Botan says. "She must be too tired." She gets to her feet, straightening her jacket around her.

"Hey, where are you going  _now?_ " Keiko asks, glancing down at the arena. "The fight's starting."

Botan gave an empty chuckle. "Oh, just need some fresh air, that's all." She slips around George and dashes up the steps to the corridor.

"That girl," Keiko mutters looking after her. She turns to Shizuru and me. "She's been acting like a basket case for days. I hope she's okay."

Shizuru gets to her feet. "I'll go check on her."

Keiko turns to me when she leaves. "Do you think Botan's all right?"

I smile, deciding that I don't want to make Keiko worry about Botan, and I sure as hell don't want to be the one to tell her about Genkai. "I'm sure whatever it is, Shizuru can sort her out," I finally say, curling my hands into fists on my lap.

Keiko is quiet as we wait for their return, but Juri does a pirouette and begins the fight before their return.

Atsuko passes me her sake bottle, but I pass it back to her. I don't need to be a blubbering, drunken mess while the boys fight for their lives. She shrugs at me, and downs some more.

I turn my eyes to the fight below. Kurama's right foot slips from his left, widening his stance. Karasu says something to Kurama, which of course, I can't make out. Kurama replies in his soft mellow voice that I can't hear so much as feel in my bones. The bracelet on my wrist seems to flex its energy.

Kurama's hand goes palm up, and he's suddenly surrounded by rose petals. I know this move from when he used it on Genbu, but something about the petals seem different. They seem shinier somehow. I bet the edges are sharp.

"Oh, wow," Koto comments, "Kurama's surrounded by rose petals! Karasu must stink!"

Kurama's arms extend from his body, probably in some sort obscure martial arts stance that no one's ever seen before. I've seen Kurama fight enough to know that he fights efficiently. Nothing is wasted with him. Everything he does has a reason. He's like a machine.

One of the petals slices Karasu on the cheek, and I can tell the crow demon's making some sort of observation about it. He doesn't seem to really care about the petals though, because he keeps walking toward the cloud. His arms twitch around him and the petals surrounding him explode.

Kurama's green eyes widen in surprise. For the slightest millisecond, his eyes flick up to me in the stands, and I raise my eyebrows at him and purse my lips.

 _Told you so, Kurama_.

His attention is back on Karasu before I know it, which is probably the smart thing to do. Karasu suddenly leaps straight up into the air, and Kurama dodges out of the way as he suddenly comes at him from the side. After that, it's a bit hard for me to follow, but I can see the flash of Kurama's fire-engine red hair, and the long black sweeps of Karasu's blurred arms.

"What an attack!" Koto exclaims. "It's just the way I like it! Confidence with a hint of malice!"

Kurama suddenly appears up in the air with his rose whip in hand. The whip lashes out at Karasu, who is still on the arena floor, but before it can make contact, it explodes right in the middle. The light from the explosion highlights Kurama's face; his eyes narrowed and teeth gritted together as annoyance flashes over his face.

Kurama is left with the handle of his whip when he lands on his feet, and he glares at Karasu. He tosses the handle aside and fists his hands, settling into a defensive-looking stance.

Karasu seems like he's talking again, and I frown at the sketchy acoustics of the stadium. Frankly, I don't know shit about sound waves, so I have no idea what could be improved. But no doubt  _something_  has to be done. Then again, I probably don't really want to know what Karasu is saying.

The crow demon leaps at Kurama again and continues taking swipes at him, although this time Karasu seems to be more ruthless. But Kurama seems to be dodging everything well. Karasu, even though he hasn't landed a hit yet, still seems to be keeping Kurama on his toes, otherwise I'm sure Kurama would have counterattacked by now.

Kurama's energy in my bracelet seems to flex again, and I think he's getting close to transforming into his youko form.

Karasu suddenly leaps into the air again and dives at Kurama, but he dodges out of the way of course, and straightens expectantly.

That's when one of Karasu's invisible bombs explodes on Kurama's arm.

It's that moment, after I see that expression on his face, where his eyes widen and his entire face freezes for an eternal painful second - it's in  _that_  moment that everything becomes entirely too real for me. It's not the gush of blood flowing down his arm, staining his white sleeve, nor the visibly torn up skin that made up his wound. But that look in Kurama's green eyes, that says he was clearly not expecting what just happened, and how his body goes rigid with agony…and…and…

_Oh, God._

I can feel my eyes burning as my hand goes to cover my mouth. I stifle a cry, and Keiko's hand goes around mine, squeezing it.

Karasu raises his arm again, and Kurama quickly gets to his feet and runs to dodge whatever's coming. But Karasu leaps up and lands in front of him.

The next bomb goes off on Kurama's leg. I flinch at his pained expression again, but he forces the look from his eyes and instead scowls at Karasu in fierce determination. I feel myself relax at the change and nibble my bottom lip, watching nervously. I try to get a hold of myself.

By now, Shizuru and Botan have returned from talking and they look on in anticipation.

Karasu holds his hand out, fingers curled up slightly like he's holding something, and I imagine that something is a bomb. His youki concentrates in his palm, and there is a dazzling display of yellow light that forms a black ball. Suddenly there is a demonic-looking pack of dynamite in Karasu's hand.

And then he hurls it at Kurama.

The explosion blows back a whoosh of motlen air through the stands, and blinds me with its brilliant orange and yellow lights. I clench my jaw and squeeze my eyes shut to keep from crying, because Kurama must be so, so hurt right now.

But suddenly, I feel a familiar gold-green youki encasing my wrist. It runs up my arm and over my body, and it feels like running barefoot in the woods - a wild, unearthly magic - and it doesn't stop until it has me surrounded like a cocoon. It feels electric on my skin.  _Alive_.

Shizuru blinks at me. "What the  _hell_  is on you?" she demands, stretching a hand out to me. Her fingers twitch away in pain as soon as she comes into contact with the youki though, and she glares suspiciously at the bracelet on my wrist and then down at the smoke-covered arena. "Well, we know Kurama's alive at least."

I hear Botan give a sigh of relief.

Karasu stands outside of the smoke, and he swiftly brings up his hand, eyeing the rose stabbed through his palm. His other hand crushes the flower and yanks it out, throwing it aside. He waits, arms spread apart slightly.

Youko Kurama's energy crackles in shadows around the stadium. With it comes and overbearing sense of dread, a flash of gold eyes, and the sour tang of sadism. The girls cringe beside me, but I believe I've built up an immunity to his energy from the bracelet because it isn't bothering me as much as it did the last time I met him. And even at that time, Youko Kurama's energy wasn't that uncomfortable. I get the feeling that Kurama planned ahead for this, but I wonder if that's not a bit illogical. Surely, he didn't expect to return to his youko form in this lifetime?

But then again…he  _is_  Kurama. He's forever two-hundred steps ahead of everyone else.

Koto examines the energy in wonder. "I've seen this all before! This battle's in for a heart-stopping face-lift!"

The smoke clears with a few more crackles of his energy, slowly,  _tauntingly_ , revealing the tall silver figure of Youko Kurama. His bright gold eyes pin Karasu, and his mouth splits, flashing his feral eyeteeth.

My own teeth clack together in some sort of reaction at the sight of him that I can't really describe. He's enthralling, otherworldly, and yet he's so unbelievably  _terrifying_  that my hands tremble in my lap. His ear closest to me twitches in my direction, and his eyes flick up to my face immediately, without having to search the crowd.

There's a shadow of a smirk around his wide mouth, specifically meant for me. And then his eyes swiftly return to Karasu, and his smirk widens.

"No surprise, I was right!" Koto says. "It's that  _foxy_  Youko Kurama!"

George pumps his fists in the air. "You  _go_ , King of Thieves! You're my man!"

The silver fox demon gives Karasu an intent look. His hand reaches up and brushes a trickle of blood away from his chin. "A youkai who can create and control bombs…I'm happy to meet a quest class demon, but I'm going to kill you." His expression becomes predatory, golden eyes flashing mercilessly.

Karasu's arms weave through the air and then there are two green bombs floating beside him. "It's you who will die," he says.

I tense, finding it incredibly annoying that I can hear some things down there, and miss others.

"Now, I see," Kurama says, golden eyes on the bombs. "You create monsters that act as invisible bombs."

Karasu's arm flies forward in a  _go_  motion, and his bombs shoot toward Kurama.

Kurama's hand rakes through his silver hair and two bright red roses manifest inbetween his fingers. With a flick of his wrist, they're suddenly in the little bomb creatures' foreheads, and they promptly explode.

"How very clever," he says, golden eyes regarding Karasu like a lion regards an antelope. "That's why I had such difficulty fighting you while I was trapped inside. Luckily for me, I found a way to break free from Minamino Shuichi just in time to finish you."

I find myself pulling a frown. Why is Kurama refering to himself like there are two of him? To me, it's always seemed like 'Minamino Shuichi' was nothing more than an alias and a human body. Whenever Kurama was a child in that body, his personality was that of Youko Kurama's. Being in the human world for fifteen years has definitely changed him from when I first met him, but he's never been anyone but himself.

Maybe Kurama is merely simplifying everything. His human body obviously has a certain amount of reiki attached to it, and probably more than the average human even, when you consider that it must compensate for his demon soul. But then there is that powerful youki from his soul as well. So maybe refering to his reiki as "Minamino Shuichi" and his youki as "Youko Kurama" is really just a scale to figure out how scary he plans to be that day.

Karasu narrows his eyes over his mask. "That's fascinating, but nothing more than a loser's excuse. You weren't able to beat me then, and you won't be able now." He shoves his hands in his pockets and green balls of energy manifest around him like a cloud. His voice comes out like a hiss. " _But you're welcome to try._ "

The green balls manifest into eyeball monsters that remind me very much of the one we met at the Gate of Betrayal. These are smaller though. Their batlike wings propel them forward to Kurama who leaps out of the way as they detonate in the spot where he was just standing. He twists and flips through the air like an acrobat, avoiding the rest of the bombs.

Karasu laughs. "When you come from the quest class of demons, you can create all sorts of things. These little jewels are what I like to call trace-eyes," he offers, watching Kurama dodge. "Once these bombs set their sights on you, they will follow you  _forever._ "

Kurama's golden eyes flash with a saccharine danger. "Have you ever heard of ojiki? It's a plant that only grows on Earth's South America." He continues to dodge Karasu's trace-eyes like he is rather unimpressed. "The ojiki is incredibly sensitive to movement, and when it senses any kind of vibration, it will quickly close its leaves around its prey," Kurama adds.

"I have no interest in gardening," Karasu replies flatly.

Kurama lands and stops across the ring from the crow demon. All of the trace-eyes quickly surround him, and I nibble my lip, wondering what he's doing. Why is he just standing there, looking at Karasu past all the bombs?

"My, my, looks like you're surrounded," Karasu observes mildly. "What's a boy to do?"

A sort of devil-may-care expression comes over his eyes, and his mouth pulls into a slight smirk. "I thought you'd know better than to corner an animal like a fox, Karasu," he says, tone goading. "We have a tendency to show our teeth."

His youki suddenly explodes around him like a tornado, and what happens next is really to fast for me to see. When the smoke clears, all I know is that there is suddenly a gigantic purple Venus fly-trap thing taking up the ring, and the trace-eyes are gone in several mini-explosions.

Kurama stands in the middle of his plant, watching Karasu. "An ojiki plant is quite dangerous regularly, and it is several times more sensitive and  _more_  lethal when grown under a demon's energy." His eyes flick to Juri crouched at the edge of the ring. "You - unless you want to be plant food, don't move."

Karasu and Kurama stare at each other while the ojiki writhes, agitated - maybe by the crowd, or by Kurama's energy, or a combination of both. It's sharp thorns are thrown into contrast underneath the bright stage lights above the ring, and the mouths at the end of the stems open in toothy (fangy?) shrieks. The purple leaves unfurl, revealing more mouths, although these remind me of a kraken's mouth. The whole thing is actually a bit like a plant kraken, I observe with a frown.

S.S. Karasu, going down in five…

"It looks like it's zeroed in on you," Kurama says with mock worry. "All your trembling must have caught its attention."

The kraken mouths of the plant fall on Karasu, but he leaps out of the way, and out of the way again as another follows in its wake.

"Uh, okay," Koto says as he dodges the ojiki, "The tables have done a one-eighty, and now  _Karasu's_  running around like a cockroach in a tap-dancing convention!"

Four…

"How does it feel to be the one pursued?" Kurama asks darkly.

Karasu tosses Kurama a dirty look as runs away from the purple mouths. He's blocked by several more stems breaking through the ring's concrete floor though.

Karasu pauses, turning to glare at Kurama. Kurama watches him with a slight smirk, and then the ojiki mouths start shooting laser beams of red demonic energy at Karasu.

" _What?"_  I gape, turning to Shizuru. "Is that plant shooting  _lasers?_ "

Three…

Kurama spares a glance in my direction again, golden eyes meeting mine over the crowd. A corner of his mouth tugs up in amusement at my semi-amazed, semi-horrified expression. I think I'm a bit more amazed than horrified though, at least until I feel a shift in the energy surrounding me, and it feels a bit more like a caress than the encasement feeling I had. It brings me back to the other night, one hand on my hip and his other hand around my wrist, crushing his stupid bracelet in my skin.

I scowl at him, and his smirk widens.

He's definitely a sadist.

Two…

I turn my eyes away from him pointedly, staring at Karasu. At this moment, he's running up a thorny vine with a glowing green bomb in his hand, and he lobs it into the an open mouth that tries to eat him.

The mouth blows up immediately in a fireball, and Karasu leaps away and the plant screams, writhing. Karasu stops on the ground, facing away from the flames and as his shoulders drop, another kraken mouth bursts out of the flames. There's just enough time for me to see a cornered look on Karasu's masked face.

"The ojiki also responds to aggression, so it'll be all the more viscious when you attack," Kurama says as the smoke clears. He puts his hand to his head like a gun, mocking the way Karasu did it earlier. "You're going to have to find a smart way to kill it, or else… _bang_."

The imaginary gun fires.

Three more mouths surround Karasu, but he doesn't move in time. One of the leafy mouths grabs him up and wraps its leaves around him, squeezing. His mask pops off with a cough of blood, and more mouths wrap around him until there's nothing to be seen of him under the purple leaves.

One.

"I thought it was going to last much longer than that…I would have liked to played with him a little longer before he died," Kurama says, turning away.

"That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Kurama's plant just grabbed Karasu and juiced him like a fresh orange!" Koto exclaims. "I never thought botany would be so deliciously  _gruesome!"_

"I can't believe it, Kurama won!" Keiko says with a smile.

Shizuru puffs on her cigarette, watching Kurama turn away from his plant to head back to the rest of the boys. "Don't get me wrong, I love my bro, but it's nice to see someone not embarrass himself for once."

I snort.

"Hey Juri, get the led out! It's time to tell us who's won!" Koto yells.

Juri blinks from her stunned position on the ground. "Oh, right," she says, getting to her feet. "Um, it looks like Karasu's been soundly defeated, so the winner of the first match is Team Urameshi's Kurama!" The ball of purple leaves devouring Karasu's body lowers to the ground for some reason, right next to Juri. "Hey, stay back!" she tells the plant.

Kurama stops.

And then the ball of leaves explodes.

"Gah!" I exclaim, shielding my face from the hot rush of air and the bright flash of light. "What the hell?"

"Apparently, Karasu isn't as dead as we thought!" Botan cringes, watching the smoke clear.

"I wouldn't count me out just yet," I hear Karasu say from the middle of the smoke. He becomes visible after a second, looking greatly unharmed.

"Oh, I'm so, so sorry, that was entirely my fault! Everyone ignore what I just said! The fight will now continue, okay?" Juri says, defeated. "This is insane…" she mutters leaping off the ring.

Kurama and Karasu stare each other down. I wait, wondering what Kurama is thinking. The youki surrounding me is still perfectly calm and collected.

"You look surprised, Youko. Did you think that was the last you'd see of me?" Karasu asks, smirking slightly. He opens his mouth, and from the corner of my eye, I see Sakyo step behind Toguro. Karasu's energy starts to crackle around him, and his hair lightens until it's as blonde as my own hair.

"Your blonde is much prettier," Shizuru reassures me when I look at her.

"Definitely," Keiko agrees, hugging Puu to her chest.

"What on  _earth_  is Karasu doing?" Botan wonders. "He's just sucking in a bunch of air! Is he trying to make his lungs explode?"

I blink. "Ah…you might be onto something, Botan." Karasu's youki is getting so intense that I can see it manifest.

Kurama takes a step back from Karasu and narrows his eyes. The energy around me feels prickly, and I think he must be thinking about eighty plans at once.

Karasu laughs and pulls his hands apart, green energy splitting between them like threads. A ball appears in front of him and it grows bigger and bigger as his laughter gets louder. Kurama takes another step back as Karasu leaps into the air.

He hangs there for a minute, laughing, green youki surrounding him like a circle. I'm suddenly, maybe even inappropriately, reminded of that metallic spherical object that Lady Gaga wore in her video for "Bad Romance". And then Karasu dives at Kurama, youki crackling like lightning.

Several things happen at once.

This explosion is monstrous enough to blow a hole the size of Texas into the stadium's wall, killing everyone sitting on that side of the ring (and I think briefly that it doesn't make sense because Karasu was diving on our side, so Kurama must have  _somehow deflected_ it at the last moment, thereby protecting us), and Kurama's youki disappates from my body and completely disappears. I gasp and peer down at the ring, but all I see is smoke and rubble. Hiei stands at the top of the wall surrounding the fighting arena though, so I think everyone is okay.

I yell at him. "Hiei!"

He glances over his shoulder, red eyes landing on me. His words are telepathic and very welcome.  _"He's alive, naturally."_

I give a sigh of relief and sit back in my seat.

Beside me Botan and Keiko let go of each other, having grabbed each other's shoulders out of fright. Shizuru's and Atsuko's hands come down from their ears, and Yukina takes her hand away from her mouth.

"Kurama's alive," I tell them, hand going to cover my bracelet.

Below us, the smoke clears enough for me to see Yusuke push a block of concrete wall off of him and get to his feet. His eyes sweep to us, and seeing that we're fine he whips around to see about everone else. Koenma is laying in a pile of rubble, and Kuwabara is sitting up, holding his ears and wincing. Hiei drops off the wall and lands beside the rest of the boys like a cat.

Koto peeks over her desk, examining the ring in shock. There's chunks missing from it, and it's blackened and scarred around a pit in the middle. Karasu stands still, hands spread apart. "Now that's devastation! A significant part of the ring has been wiped out, and there are corpses everywhere! And Kurama's nowhere to be seen!" Koto says.

Some rubble in a corner shifts, and I feel my heart leap in a combination of hope and dread. I'm glad Kurama's alive, but how injured will he be?

The blocks of concrete fall away, and Kurama, red hair, green eyes,  _human_ , climbs out of the heap. I bite my lip. Why isn't he still in his youko form? His green eyes pierce Karasu, but I can't get any thoughts off of him.

Koto gasps. "Oh, wow! Kurama's like a nasty virus! You just can't get rid of him! However, it does look like this last explosion has taken it's toll, because now he's back to his original  _human_  form."

"This isn't good," I mutter, watching Kurama get up carefully. His movements are slow and pained, and I can tell he's really injured. I feel the back of my eyes burn, but I force that feeling down. Crying won't help anyone.

Karasu approaches Kurama, casually, hand in his pocket. "Forgive me for disturbing your train of thought, but shouldn't you take this time to pray?" he asks, spreading his hands apart. "After all you're about to meet your creator," he laughs. "You can ask him why he flawed with you!"

Kurama's jaw clenches. His hand goes to his hair, and he pulls out a rose, extending it out to his side. His attempt to manifest it into his rose whip fails, however, and his eyebrows pull together and his teeth grit in a frown.

Karasu observes this with a smile. "You're too weak, Kurama, you can't even control the most basic of your attacks. Make this easier on yourself and give in. I promise it won't hurt too much."

"Wow, fight fans, the suspense is in the air here at the Dark Tournament, because everyone knows that one more solid attack by Karasu means curtains for you-know-who!" Koto commentates.

I frown at Kurama's back and look at Karasu again.

"If you think about it, death really isn't so frightening. Who knows…you might even enjoy it." Karasu tips his head slightly.

Kurama tosses aside his thorny stem and rushes toward Karasu, leaping in the air and twisting himself in the air with a front flip. He lands lightly and barrels toward the now-blond crow demon, and sweeps his leg out in a kick.

Karasu leaps in the air though, avoiding Kurama's leg, an evident look of surprise in his eyes. Kurama quickly follows him, sweeping his hand in the air in front of Karasu's face, and strands of Karasu's blonde hair go flying under the force of his strike. Karasu ducks away and lands, skipping back out of Kurama's range.

Kurama lands just as quickly, and follows Karasu closely, not allowing him to make a counterattack. Kurama is using this time to think of his own final attack, I'm guessing. He can't let this fight drag out any longer.

"Aw, man!" Koto exclaims. "Kurama's launching a full-blown assault on Karasu, but so far it's useless! Blondie's dodging each punch and I can't take it anymore! I need some blood!"

Karasu's hand starts glowing green again, and he hurls the ball of youki at Kurama, but Kurama leaps over it and hits Karasu in the chest with the heels of his hands together. His blow knocks Karasu back across the ring, sending the crow demon skidding on the balls of his feet.

Kurama drops his hands, exhaling, waiting.

Karasu looks down at his bruised chest. "You're just full of surprises. But I thought you'd be more original." His hand brushes his sternum, and retracts, holding something between his fingertips. A trickle of red blood rolls down his chest. "You really thought this would work," he says, astounded. "It's called tact, Kurama, you should really consider using some."

My nails grind into my palms.

Karasu gives a small laugh. "I must congratulate you though. You've injured me more than once and that is practically unheard of." He tosses whatever he has in his hand in the air and it blows up with a small  _crack_.

Kurama shifts his weight, sliding his left foot back.

But something like a bear trap bursts through the concrete and clamps around his ankle, making both of us jump in shock. A bomb appears at the bottom of the trap, narrowing its wide eye and giving Kurama a toothy grin.

"Shit," I curse, feeling the blood drain from my face.

"That's what I call my mad bomb," Karasu says mildly, and I immediately want to sock him in his pretty face.

The bomb explodes, and Kurama gives a yelp of pain that makes me flinch and squeeze my eyes shut. I don't want to see this.  _I don't want to see you hurt, Kurama_.

My teeth sink into my lip as he hits the ground. I wait for him to get up, to  _move_ , but only after my heart rate reaches a dangerous range does he get up on all fours. Blood oozes from his leg, and from his earlier wound to his arm. Forcing himself, he finally manages to straighten to his feet.

I hear Yusuke yell. "Don't move another inch, Kurama, you're surrounded by bombs!"

Kurama freezes, and at the same time we both notice the green spheres of youki hanging in the air around him. I can't count them all. There must be thirty or forty of them, waiting to blow Kurama up.

My eyes are burning again.

"Didn't you say wouldn't be afraid of things you could not see?" Karasu asks, and I frown, realizing that I must have missed that. "Well, here's a better look. You know this entire battle has been an exercise in futility. You're weak. You're  _tired_." Karasu approaches Kurama. "You're powerless. You're pathetic."

Kurama watches him.

"Yet it seems you have a masochistic streak that wants indulging," Karasu continues, smiling slightly. "So," he raises his hand, "here goes."

"Aaah!" Kurama yells as one of the bombs detonates on his right hip. Another quickly follows on his left shoulder, and he yells again, and it's followed by another bomb and another, and another and another -

I finally feel my control falter, and I muffle a strangled cry into my hands. Shizuru's hand is immediately on my back, and I watch another bomb blow up on Kurama's leg through my tears.

He drops to his knees, bloodied and trembling.

"I can't watch him suffer like this," Keiko says, turning her face away.

Shizuru's nails dig into my back. "Karasu is such a bastard," she growls. "He's clearly playing with him now. I wish…I wish he would just end this."

"I don't ever want to hear you talk like that again," Botan snaps, curling her hands into fists. "Kurama will beat him. Kurama can't die, he just can't! I've already lost one person I love to Toguro's team - I won't lose another!"

"Fight on, Kurama!" Atsuko bellows for all of us.

"Go, Kurama!" Yukina shouts, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Get your victory on, Kurama!" George hollers at the end of the row, waving Koenma's spiky club.  _"Go, fight, win!"_

"You can do it, Kurama!" Botan and Keiko yell together.

I wipe my cheeks. "Kurama," I say, but it comes out too weakly. Then I suddenly feel this wave of fire inside of me and it incinerates my tears and propels me to my feet and I suck in this huge breath of air -

" _Kurama!"_ I scream down at him,  _"If you die, I'll never forgive you as long as I live!"_

And then the fire leaves me as quickly as it came, and I collapse back into my seat. Shizuru puts her arm around me and we watch Kurama tense together, so I know he heard me. And I'm glad. Even if cheering for him is all I can do, I'm glad I can do it.

Karasu looks up right at me, and he smirks. "Is that girl special to you Kurama? Will she cry when I kill you? I know, I'll tell you what her face looks like as I'm killing you, okay?"

Kurama gets to his feet again, eyes flashing. "Leave her out of this, you bastard." He doesn't look back at me, and for that I'm grateful, because I'm sure I have a very maniacal look on my face.

Right now, I want to have Hiei's speed so that I can rush down there and rip out Karasu's throat with my teeth. I want tear him limb from fucking limb with my viridian coils, and I want to put his head on a pike.

But then Karasu's hand twitches and the rest of the bombs start detonating in painful green blasts, and I'm reduced to empty trembling as Kurama's screams tear through me like knives, like  _acid_ , and I can't I just can't -

_Oh, God, why is this happening?_

Kurama drops to the ground face-first, and I know he's out. He's covered in more blood than can possibly be in his body, his clothes are singed and burned, and he's so still. He's so, so still. I can't move. I can't breathe.

The crowd bursts into cheers and I feel my mouth tremble. And unfortunately in that moment, Karasu chooses to look straight at me, and I squeeze my eyes shut so that I don't have to see his smile. I can feel his eyes burning into me though.

"The crowd is going wild here, and rightly so, Kurama's down and I don't think he's getting back up!" Koto says. A demon suddenly appears beside her and snatches the mike out of her hands.

" _Do it!_  We don't have all day!" he yells at Karasu.

She snatches her mike right back from him with a loud  _Give that back!_  and another demon comes up behind her and drops his arms around her, tongue lolling out. Koto winces and cries into her mike, "Juri, count! For the love of good hygiene, count!"

I don't find myself very sympathetic for some reason. Maybe it's because this whole fucking stadium can go to hell right now, and I wouldn't give a rat's ass.

Juri bounces into the ring, and says, "Okay! He has until the count of ten! If he stays down, Karasu wins! One! Two!"

I watch agitatedly, listening to Juri's count, and hoping,  _praying_  Karasu doesn't do anything else to Kurama while he's down. I don't care if he loses the match. I don't care. I just want him alive.

Around the count of eight, Kurama shifts, and the blood trickling from his wounds starts gushing.  _No, no, just stay down, Kurama, just stay down, don't move pleasepleasepleaseit'senough_ …

But he doesn't stay down, and his energy, his reiki and youki both mix together and manifest in a bright purple energy that surrounds his entire body as he gets to his knees. Karasu makes a move to attack, but Kurama's energy output increases tenfold, to the point where his hair flies back under his power. A plant explodes from his body, and it shoots at Karasu, latching into the chest wound Kurama put there earlier.

Kurama's eyes roll into the back of his head, and he falls to the ground one last time.

I watch frozen, as the vampyric plant sucks Karasu's blood from his chest. The crow demon looks shocked, and he gets paler and paler with every passing second. Finally, he falls to the ground and the plant moves on top of him, and I'm not sure if it's eating him or not, but I don't really care at the moment.

Kurama isn't moving.

"Oh, Kurama,  _please_  get up," Botan prays, standing.

"He isn't moving," Yukina says, worriedly, hands clasped in front of her. "Do you think he's dead?"

"Of course not!" Botan insists. "He can't be!"

Shizuru frowns at the ring. Her voice wavers. "He sacrificed himself to kill Karasu."

I shake my head, shoulders trembling. "Stop it, Shizuru," I choke out.

Her hand rubs my back.

" _Please_  wake up _,_ " Keiko says, clutching Puu.

I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my face because I can't look anymore. I can't watch this man that I love more than anything in the world be dead. I can't do it, and god  _damn_  anyone who can.

Botan suddenly screams. "Alice! Alice! Look!"

Shizuru tears my hands from my face, and I see him getting to his feet, slowly, weakly, and and…

I burst into tears all over again, burying my face in my knees. Shizuru promptly yanks me up and tells me to wipe my face and  _stop crying, damn it_ , because he's turning this way and is this how I want him to  _see me?_

I do as she says and I try to compose myself. But I know my face is red and it'll be pretty clear to Kurama that I've been crying anyway, so when his eyes meet mine, I try not to think about how I look too much. His mouth pulls into a small smile that I return before ducking my head. I feel a sudden inexplicable shyness, and when I glance back at his face, he's still watching me although he looks puzzled now.

Yusuke runs to him, leaping onto the platform. Kurama's strength fails him after a moment, and he drops to his knees. Yusuke catches him around his arms and helps him down gently. He's grinning at Kurama, happily. They murmur words I can't hear, but Kurama is definitely frowning.

"And the official announcement says, the winner of match one, is  _Karasu!_ " Juri says into her mike, pointing at the very dead crow demon.

" _What?"_  Botan shrieks.

I see Yusuke turn into a statue.

"I think he stayed down too long when Juri was counting earlier," I say, rubbing my sweaty palms against my knees.

"Why that's…that's…" Botan struggles, furrowing her brow. "It's  _bullshit_ , that's what it is!"

I stare at Botan. I've never heard her curse before. Keiko gasps beside her in surprise.

"Well, Botan, I guess you've been hanging around Yusuke a little too much, haven't you?" Shizuru comments, lighting a cigarette.

Yusuke pulls Kurama up and takes him off the platform as gently as he can while fuming. Kurama winces with every step and I just want to go down there and and

I don't know. Something.

"It was the ten-count," Juri explains into her mike. "Kurama made his counter-attack from a fallen position, but I had already finished the countdown before that time."

"The cheering of the crowd drowned out the counting," Koto adds, and I can see her watching a TV at her desk. "I checked the video record, and it confirms that Kurama did attack after the time limit."

"Only two more to go and Team Toguro wins!" a demon down front shouts.

"Two more to go!" the crowd starts cheering. "TWO MORE TO GO! TWO MORE TO GO!"

"Ugh!" Botan cries in annoyance, clawing her hands again.

"You just don't get it," the older Toguro says, yellow eyes fixed on Kuwabara. Apparently, there were some other words that I missed because of the annoying crowd. However, when Toguro starts talking, they quiet down for him.

"Oh! So you all shut up for the shoulder-monkey!" I hear Kuwabara shout angrily. He isn't standing at a good place acoustically-speaking, but he's loud enough that I can't miss his voice.

"Because they know that whenever I open my mouth I have something of importance to say. You're observation is, as usual, short-sighted and incorrect. Even if by some cruel, cosmic joke you survive your matches, you forget that the champions are each granted a wish. Once our team wins, and mine is awarded,  _I'll wish for the death of all your friends_."

Yukina and Keiko flinch in response, and I can't have that.

"Oh, ow, my feelings!" I cry sarcastically, clutching my chest, staring down at the  _shoulder-monkey_. "How fucking  _original!_ " I shout, pointing at him. I don't particularly want to draw his ire, but I want to diffuse the tension up here, and this is the best way I know how. Yusuke and I share a serious cockiness problem.

Kurama's eyes sweep up at me like I've gone mad.

His yellow eyes find me in the crowd and he gives me a feral grin. "Perhaps something special could be arranged for  _you,_  Alice Regnier."

I feel my blood run cold.

_How the fuck does he know my real last name?_

My reaction is exactly what he's looking for, and he gives a shrill laugh. Below me, I can see Kurama's and Hiei's eyes both narrow, but it's Kuwabara who actually says something. His hands curl into fists and takes a step toward the elder Toguro, shoulders tense as all hell.

"You leave her alone, you jackass! A  _real_  man doesn't pick on girls!" Kuwabara explodes, furious. He turns to the crowd as they began yelling and chanting again. "I've had it up to here with all of this moronic chanting!  _Shut. Up!_ "

"Forget world peace," Yusuke scowls, setting Kurama down against the platform. "Now I'll just wish for muzzles!"

Hiei steps forward, smirk in place. "Want to know what I'll wish for when we beat them? The bloody death of every one of those Tournament committee members, so that I'll never be pulled into one of their carnivals again."

Sakyo looks amused for some reason.

The elder Toguro drops from his brother's shoulder, and I think  _yes, someone beat how he knows my name out of him_ , but Bui steps forward instead, clanking in his huge armour. Elder Toguro looks surprised, but steps aside, saying something that I can't hear to the boys.

Hiei suddenly appears on the platform and I feel a swoop of excitement in my belly. Of all the fights in Yu Yu Hakusho, Bui and Hiei's fight is the most memorable and my most favorite. There's just something about Hiei's fighting style that just makes my fighting spirit soar. It may have something to do with the fact that he's all  _offense_ , and his confidence is practically bottomless. I just know that after I watch him, I want to be just as cool as Hiei.

Bui moves closer to the center, huge armour clanking with every step. Bui, if you don't know, is like the perfect bad guy. He's got perfect Darth Vader breathing, a huge crazy-tall stature, and of course that creepy awesome armour. He looks like he just stepped out of hell, and gives off the same aura as Pyramid Head does from  _Silent Hill_. And  _then_ , when he takes off that armour, he turns out to be some cross between an angel and an X-Men.

Bui and Hiei stop and size each other up.

Juri lifts her hand and begins. "Measuring at four foot ten without his hair - Hiei!"

I frown, wondering how old those stats are, because I'm about five foot two in heels and eye level with Hiei at the same time. Then again, they could have just fudged his height. I mean, I really can't imagine Hiei standing patiently still while someone with a measuring tape stands over him. Possibly they really did have his true height at one point - maybe a year ago when Koenma arrested him for being all thievy and stuff - but I can assure you, he's definitely not four-ten anymore.

I figure Hiei must be fairly young for a demon, even though he's probably older than me.

Juri's eyes turn to Bui, indicating to him. "At nine feet, Bui!"

"Wow! Nine feet? That's tall," Koto comments, "And that's  _more_  than enough man to go around, ladies!"

I don't think I'm that interested in Bui, thanks anyway, Koto.

"Then again," she continues, "Hiei has proven on numerous occasions that kickass things come in short packages, too! I have no idea who's gonna win this one people, but I can state with certainty that it's gonna be exciting!"

Bui's hand comes up and his red youki flickers. An axe the size of an elephant ( _no_  exaggeration) materializes in his hand, blade gleaming in the stage lights.

Hiei smirks, says something in a low voice that I can't quite hear, and tosses his coat aside with an incredible ability to get out of sleeves. Everyone's eyes are immediately drawn to his heavily bandaged right arm. He's got some sort of belt wrapped over the dressing, and a seal over his wrapped fist. I do know that it's to bind the dragon - the Kokuryuuha. I have to hold myself still because otherwise I would be wriggling in my seat with excitement, and that might concern the girls.

Kurama is on his feet again at this point, holding his side where he's still bleeding a bit. He stands next to Yusuke and Koenma, narrowed green eyes on Hiei.

"And now, the second match of the final round of the Dark Tournament - ready, set, go!" Juri announces with a twirl and a wink. She's actually a pretty cute girl, I guess. She probably gets hit on a lot.

And then Bui lifts his axe in the air, running toward Hiei with frightening speed, armour clanking loudly all the way. With a leap in the air, Bui's axe comes down viciously fast, burying into the concrete ring.

Of course, Hiei is already behind him, looking more annoyed than anything. "Your aim is as broad as your axe," he comments scathingly. "Could you at least try to hit me next time?"

I see Bui's hand tighten around the handle of khis axe, and he lifts it slowly, taking a huge chunk of concrete with it. With a spin of his arm, the block goes flying at Hiei, and naturally misses. It smashes into the wall of the arena, breaking into what audience is left there from Karasu's explosion. Bui quickly follows up with another block, and another, and then just all of the blocks of concrete in his reach, effectively ruining the ring.

Hiei dodges every single one with insulting ease. Most of them crash into the audience, and I start getting a bit nervous as one crashes about four columns to the right of us.

"Nobody can explain to me why the combantants keep attacking the audience!" Koto says. "Though it does make the pain more widespread, and I do love that!"

"I may be a small target, but this is sad," Hiei says, holding his hand out in front of him. His youki increases, disintegrating the bandage covering the Jagan. Fire covers his left hand as he draws breath. "Prepare yourself - for the Fist of the Mortal Flame!"

Then Hiei just starts smashing the blocks of concrete Bui keeps tossing at him. They crumble underneath his monstrous strength, shattering like eggshells. With his back to us, I suddenly realize that if Hiei was not doing this and he had continued to dodge, all of the blocks would have crashed into our column and undoubtedly into us girls.

My eyes slide over to Yukina. I know that it's for her benefit, but I can't help but warm to the idea that maybe Hiei's thinking of me too. At least a little.

I almost miss the next part, still watching Yukina, but I see her eyes widen at something in the ring and I quickly turn to look. Hiei had apparently stopped the swing of Bui's axe with only his flaming fist. The muscles in his arms are taut, but his mouth pulls into a slight smirk of amusement as his youki crackles against Bui's.

The head of Bui's axe suddenly breaks off the handle and goes flying over his shoulder - barely missing Juri - and crashes somewhere in the audience behind her.

Bui retreats, leaping backwards and steps out of a crouch, drawing out his entire nine foot stature. He holds his arm out, and his red youki crackles in his hand again, and another axe - although a bit different from the first with a chain and all - appears in his hand.

"At least you're consistent," Hiei says, eyeing the axe with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. "Consistently  _foolish_."

Bui throws the axe, and Hiei's youki flares so brightly I can see the red aura around him. His left hand stretches out, catching the blade of the axe in his fingertips, and then he fucking  _vaporizes_  it.

A thrill of awe and excitement shoots through me.

_Hiei, I just want to be you when I grow up._

"I warned you that that would be a foolish maneuver, but you refused to listen, much to your disadvantage, and  _my_  boredom." Hiei states darkly, glaring at Bui. "And  _that_  is not forgivable."

Bui's eyes glow red in the shadows of his helmet. "Sorry to bore you. I'll remove my armour." His voice is deep, whispery, but also velvety. Also scary as hell - but in a good way - like a bad guy in a horror movie.

Hiei's expression changes from annoyed to interested.

"Did you hear that?" Koto's voice asks. I half-listen, more interested in Bui than anything. "Bui spoke for the first time in this Tournament! His timbering voice so richly deep that my two little cat ears are tingling! In fact, my whole body's got shivers…"

"You should know two things, Hiei the swordsman," Bui says, undoing his arm guard, "I was saving this for someone else. And this is the highest compliment I give."

"Hm, I'm honored, really, I am," Hiei says, giving Bui a doubtful look with a smirk twisting his mouth. "But do you really think you can take a direct hit from me without any armour?"

"I'll handle it," Bui replies. He pulls his guard free from his forearm and tosses it aside. It lands behind the boys with a loud  _boom_ , creating a crater in the ground.

Kuwabara jumps, and shouts something in observation that I can't quite make out. Probably something about it being heavy, and how crazy it was that Bui can still move so well despite the heavy armour.

Bui kneels, working on his shin guards, and Hiei waits somewhat patiently with folded arms.

"Nney, hey, spikey-haired boy!" Atsuko calls, waving her sake in the air, clearly very drunk already. "Get 'im while he's off guard, eh?"

Botan holds up her hand. "That's not really his style…"

George looks like he readily agrees. "Yeah, Hiei! If you hit him while he's kneeling, he won't be able to fight back!"

"George, Botan already said that that goes against his way of fighting. Hiei's too awesome for that, or did you  _not_  see him  _vaporize_  an axe?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.

George slumps a bit with an uneasy smile, "Right, right," he says, giving a small bow.

I watch Bui toss away his armour until all he's left with is his helmet.

"Most fighters wear armour to protect themselves from their opponent," he says straightening. "But I'm the opposite. I actually wear it to protect my opponents from myself." And with that he removes his helmet and his mask, tossing them aside. His face is narrow, with a large purplish scar on his forehead. His hair is almost the same color as Yukina's, if not a bit more blue. His youki spikes, an odd minty color surrounds his fist. "You see, my powers are so great that I simply cannot control them on my own."

Hiei looks entertained enough. Maybe even pleased.

Bui puts his arms out to the side, and his energy  _explodes_  everywhere. It shoots up in a column around him and lifts him in the air, and I feel a bit like I'm in a sci-fi flick. The way he holds himself reminds me of Jesus on the cross, but so  _alien_.

Oddly, his energy doesn't bother me though. Neither did Karasu's actually, for some reason.

Hiei's red youki flares in response and he leaps into the air at Bui for an attack, but the attack must not have worked out because Hiei is back on the ground again. Bui dives at him, and Hiei responds with throwing a spiral of fire at him. The flames engulf Bui for a moment, but he forces them away with another flare of his youki, and then he shoots a ball of green energy at Hiei.

Hiei fires another round of flames at the ball, and it sort of compresses and explodes under the pressure, sending offshoots of youki to the unappreciative audience.

Bui fires another blast of energy with a roar, but this one is shaped like a shuriken.

Hiei dodges of course, but after that I can't quite make out what's going on, except for the fact that the shuriken that Bui fired is moving very erratically. I can't see Hiei, but I think that's because he's moving too fast for me to follow him. I get the idea that he's actually moving the shuriken somehow, and it ends up crashing back into Bui.

It slams Bui into the ring with an explosion of light so bright that I have to shut my eyes against it. It dies down and I blink, seeing afterimages in my vision.

Bui stands calmly in the center of the crater his attack created, looking up at Hiei with an expectant expression. His youki explodes again, lifting him out of the crater in a beam of light. He hovers in front of Hiei. "I told you you had to try and top me, Hiei. Maybe now you'll begin to take me more seriously and show me the respect I deserve." I can feel his energy powering up for an attack. He lands on the opposite side of the crater from Hiei. "My attacks are designed to only be as strong as necessary to take out my opponent. As you can see, that's not even enough to put a dent in me." His youki lifts him into the air again. "Take that any way you like."

"So…it takes a lot more than that to bang you up?" Hiei says, smirk crossing his face. "Here comes a lot more." He picks up his right arm and tears the seal from his fist. The dressing on his arm becomes unwrapped quickly, and I can feel the dragon's youki again. And if I squint my eyes a bit, I can make out the black dragon tattoo on Hiei's arm past the sudden dark purple aura surrounding it.

Kurama turns and looks up at us. His mouth is pressed in a worried line as he scans our faces.

I frown at him, but he turns to face Hiei again before he can give me a satisfactory reason for that look.

"It's been pulling at the bandages for some time," Hiei says, as his arm basically bursts into flame. "I couldn't hold it for long." He gives a dark laugh, red eyes flashing at Bui dangerously. "You're the next sacrifice to the Kokuryuuha!"

Then the dragon pulls from his arm and circles Hiei like a cat. Black energy rolls off the dragon as it shoots up in the air, and at the same time, Bui powers up again, floating in the air in his column of green light.

"Wow," Koto says, "Fire is leaping from Hiei's arm, and excited goosebumps are screaming from mine! The big boy is back!"

I rub my own arm, feeling my own thrilled goosebumps.

"Ugh," I hear Shizuru mutter beside me. I turn and see her arms wrapped around herself as she gives a shudder.

"What's wrong, Shizuru?" Keiko asks, furrowing her brow. "You look so pale!"

"I feel so cold all of the sudden," Shizuru replies, shivering again. I'm guessing it has to do with Hiei's dragon, because it's actually quite warm inside the arena.

Oddly, I'm not frightened at all like I was last time. However, I don't think that has anything to do with the change in mine and Hiei's relationship. I wonder if my mind is just protecting itself, somehow?

"Do you need a doctor?" Yukina and George ask together.

"No, thanks."

"No, I feel it too," Botan says, pink eyes narrowing. "Something dangerous is coming and her gift of awareness only makes it scarier."

Hiei's attack grows and changes, leveling up higher and higher. The air is full of his youki. But slowly, slowly, the dragon's energy starts mixing in with his, and it begins to take over, and the atmosphere grows heavy under its influence. Black lightning crackles, and it feels like there's a powerful thunderstorm inside the arena. Outside of it, I hear the sounds of concrete falling apart.

"Take it from someone who was in the ring the first time - this attack is not the same! It's like a super-hyper-mega dragon!" Koto says, sounding a bit worried.

I get the sense, suddenly, that Hiei's attack is ready - fully charged - and he races toward Bui.  _"Kokuryuuha!"_

The dragon flies at Bui, a solid shadow, crackling energy, purple flares, and sparks of flame. Its great jaws yawn open to swallow Bui, and I hear him give an awful scream as the dragon barrels into him like a train.

Bui seems to be holding his own all right though. His green energy is fluctuating in response to the attack, but the dragon hasn't swallowed him, and Bui even manages to stop its momentum.

"I hope you don't think that dragon is completed," Hiei growls, pulling back his fist as a hot white youki engulfs it. He shoots the youki at the dragon, and it surrounds it so that all I can see is the dragon, which had been multicolored and skeletal before, grow into something more solid. The light stays around it, and the dragon continues it's outraged attack on Bui, sending him in a dizzying spiral around the arena.

I can't really see Bui underneath his bright green energy, so it sort of looks to me like the dragon has a glowing green Rudolph nose.

Don't tell Hiei I said that.

"Amazingly, Bui's avoided instant vaporization, but the dragon's strength is immense and it's bulldozing him around the stadium! Something has to give!" Koto exclaims.

Yeah, so the stadium gives. Also, all the youki in the air starts melting the weaker demons in the audience.

Koto sounds thrilled. "All right people, this is only the mayhem you can expect from the final! The weaker ones in the crowd are being instantly incinerated! It's hell in a basket, and I love it  _all!_ "

The dragon bursts through the far side of the arena, blowing about half of the roof off and killing everyone on that side of the ring. Outside, the sky is unnaturally red, but that's likely due to the dragon's influence. I can't see Bui anymore, but from the still writhing black and white hot form of the dragon, I can tell he's still holding on.

"Does anyone know how to make a shield?" I ask, watching Hiei leap up higher on broken beams so that he has a better vantage point of the dragon's attack.

"Well, I can sort of make one," Botan says, pink eyes wide as she takes in the dragon. "It does take a bit of effort though."

"I'll hold it with you," I tell her. Making shields and barriers really isn't that hard. It's actually harder to hold them up because you have to keep your mind focused on it, and if you're like me and suffer from "monkey mind", then it's not exactly your forte.

"I can help too," Yukina pipes up, and I feel her youki flare and bubble around us.

I push out a layer of my own psychic energy, which I realize I hardly ever use. I'm so used to wielding that holy energy instead, but I can't use it now because it would counteract Yukina's stable demonic energy. Unfortunately, my hold on my own energy is shaky at best, but I persevere, fixing a gaze at Hiei's back.

Botan adds her own candy-pink reiki, letting it sit over my layer like a thick quilt.

Beside me, Shizuru relaxes her tense shoulders. "That feels so much better."

Bui's energy flares in the distance, and I get the sudden dreadful feeling that something is about to go terribly, horribly wrong.

When the dragon turns and starts careening back into the arena, straight at Hiei, I know I'm right.

It crashes into him with a screech, and he disappears. I don't know if the dragon swallowed him, or if he just ended up buried under some rubble, or the damn thing sent him into outer-fucking-space, but my heart drops all the same. The beast continues to screech and writhe in the air, and I would think it a magnificent thing if I weren't so damned hacked off at it.

_Hiei, you stupid moron - where the hell are you?_

The sky changes back to blue, red seeping away like a nightmare gone, but there's still something in the air. Something saying this fight isn't over yet.

"What a manuvoeur! Bui managed to force the Kokuryuuha away from himself and directly toward Hiei, causing the three-eyed warrior to be swallowed by his own beast of destruction!"

The dragon flickers out of existence in the sky, and I frown at the spot as the crowd starts cheering around us.

I hear Juri begin a half-hearted announcement after Koto rouses her from her apparent nap. "Uh…Hiei can't compete without a body…so, the official winner can only be -"

The spot I've been staring at flickers black again, and I can't contain my smile. The black energy grows and fluctuates, spiking and reddening, and then it explodes with a  _BANG_  and a bright blue wave, and sends Juri backward screaming.

A familiar humanoid shape appears in the bright blue light, surrounded by the dragon's black energy. The sky turns dark and stormy, and a blue-black column of lightning shoots down into the remains of the concrete ring. It's blinding, but I keep my eyes on the light anyway. The energy twists around Hiei's obscured figure, bathing him. Baptizing him.

"This brings out my next attack," he says, still glowing and straighting slowly. "It's a little different." The light fades then, and Hiei stands there - the perfect picture of health. His face tips up, and he smiles slightly with a dark chuckle.

Bui's face breaks out into a sweat. His eyes widen. "Explain this!"

Hiei turns a bit nonchalant.

"I can't really articulate what happened here, people! It looked like the dragon had eaten Hiei, but now the demon's back and appears to be unharmed," Koto commentates.

"Something gigantic is still here. I can't explain it," Shizuru says, "but Hiei's attack is on its way."

Botan complains. "Alice, you really aren't doing your part with this barrier! Are you even paying attention?"

I blink and focus on the shield again. "Sorry Botan, shields aren't exactly my specialty." I guess I'm about as balls-out as Hiei when I fight. The best defense is a good offense in my book and his. I guess that's why I like watching him fight so much.

"He looks wrong," Yukina says, hand curling against her face as she examines Hiei.

Keiko blinks. "Why's that, Yukina? I don't think he looks any different from when he disappeared a minute ago. Except that wound on his arm isn't there anymore…"

Botan frowns, tapping a finger against her chin.

Down in the arena, something sort of interesting happens. Hiei takes a step toward Bui, and Bui  _steps back_ , looking  _terrified_.

"Countless centuries," Hiei begins, Jagan glowing, "countless masters trying to harness the power of the Kokuryuuha…" Bright blue youki flares around him, engulfing him, obscuring him from view. "Only I have had the courage, the strength, and the abandon to realize its glorious potential. I have the power of the black dragon, because now I  _am_  the  _dragon_."

Bui suddenly flies at Hiei in a seemingly desperate attempt to prove to himself that Hiei isn't as powerful as he seems. He hits Hiei in the face, but it has zero effect on Hiei. Bui only has the strength to turn his head and barely that - even though hits Hiei multiple times. Hiei is in a whole other class of demon, and he's rubbing it in Bui's face.

Smirky bastard.

"Bui unloads like an angry toddler in a therapy session, but Hiei is absolutely  _unaffected!_ " Koto shouts.

Bui runs at Hiei again, grabbing him up and tossing him in the air. Hiei soars almost comically, limbs going whichever way they may. Bui follows and slams him into the ceiling, and when that has  _no_  effect, Bui throws him back to the ground creating a crater for his body. I wonder if Hiei is going to give up this passivity soon, because even though I know he's doing it to psyche Bui out, it's beginning to annoy me.

Hiei gets to his feet and smirks at Bui.

The larger demon flares his green youki again and runs at him, but Hiei catches his fist. Bui yells for some reason, and his aura disappears, and he falls to the ground at Hiei's feet.

"Insane! Hiei has actually sucked away Bui's battle aura - the source of all of his power!" Koto explains helpfully.

"Come now," Hiei says, "can't you even test me?"

Bui straightens, gritting his teeth. I can tell he's not going to last much longer. Hiei's breaking him mentally. He takes a hesitant step and then runs fully at Hiei.

Hiei curls his hands at his side and he's suddenly holding a huge crackling ball of that bright blue youki. It expands around Hiei, and Bui makes a sizzling sound when he come in contact with it. He goes flying through a part of the roof that's still intact, and Hiei hurtles after him, blue youki unfolding into a white-blue dragon.

Way up in the air, I see Hiei punch Bui in the face -  _one strike_  - and Bui goes crashing back into the stands like a fallen satellite from space.

Hiei drops down next to him, light as a cat, and inspects him. I can't see Bui lying there from where I'm sitting, but I can see Hiei's posture relax slightly, in that small miniscule way he did with me this morning, and I know that it's over.

"Both are outside the ring - I'll start the count!" Juri says, and then she trips on a block of rubble from the ring. She gets up quickly though and begins counting. "One!"

Hiei jumps back into the ring as she hits eight, but Bui stays down, defeated.

"And  _ten!_  The second fight is over! Hiei takes the point!" Juri exclaims with a wink.

The crowd roars in response, and the girls and I explode with cheers.

"He did it!" Botan exclaims, jumping up and down in her seat. The other girls praise him around me, but I keep my eyes on Hiei.

His expression is tired, and I can tell that attack took a lot out of him. He's saying something to the boys, pointing his finger at them, eyelids drooping more and more with every passing second. His knees buckle finally, and he collapses to the ground in a dead faint. Or sleep.

I squint down at him. He looks awfully peaceful. Sleep then, I suppose.

"I've just received a message that there will be a long intermission while the replacement ring is brought in," Koto says, "Feel free to move around the parts of the stadium that still exist. And as always don't forget about the snack bars!"

"Shall we go say hi to the boys?" Botan asks.

"Yes!" Keiko says, getting to her feet and brushing off her clothes.

We all get up and start squeezing our way past the demons in our row and then head down the column to the wall. I don't actually think there's typically a way to get to the arena through the wall, but since Hiei destroyed half the stadium, there probably is now.

Shizuru suddenly stops in front of me. "What's that creep doing?"

I look around her and see Elder Toguro standing with the rest of the boys, looking like he was threatening Kuwabara.

Probably it should have been Shizuru to do this, but I didn't want to miss my chance. I blow past Shizuru and Botan, force my way through the throngs of demons in my way and slam into the wall surrounding the arena. Glad to be wearing jeans today, I hop up and swing my legs over the wall, glaring at the older brother. "Hey,  _asshole!_ "

"Alice!" I hear Kurama shout, horrified.

It's a long drop to the ground - about eight feet - but adrenaline and rage make me (stupidly) drop from the wall anyway, but I land smoothly on the balls of my feet and dash towards the stringy-haired bastard. I have tunnel-vision. I want to beat answers out of him.

Kuwabara snatches me around my middle though, lifting me up from the ground, and I squirm against him. "What the  _hell_  are you  _doing?_ " he demands in my ear.

"Put me  _down_ , damn it! I want  _answers_ , Toguro!" I demand, trying to hit Kuwabara's shins with my heels. I feel him flinch behind me.

The bastard has the gall to laugh at me. "My, my, Alice Regnier, you're quite a bit more feisty than I was led to believe." His face splits into a mocking grin as his hand reaches for me, but with as much anger propelling me at this moment, my viridian coils are already moving to wrap around his stupid creepy hand.

 _Koenma_ , of all people, steps in the middle of this. His back to me, I can feel Kuwabara relaxing his hold on me, and my feet finally touch the ground. Koenma's outstretched arm is about level with my neck, and his chin tips down at Elder Toguro in warning. "Let's save it for your round with Kuwabara, shall we?"

Toguro shoves his hands in his pockets and cackles, turning and walking away.

"Hey!" I shout after him angrily. "I'm not done -"

Koenma whips around, brown eyes narrowed in a glower, which is a lot more impressive on his adult face than his baby one. I balk under the weight of his anger and snap my mouth shut.

"What do you  _think_  you're  _doing?_ " he demands. "Do you know how much  _nerve_  that took for me to do? I'm a diplomat -  _not a fighter!_ "

I gape at him. "Are you kidding me, Koenma?"

He scowls at me through the mafuken.

"Sir! Koenma, sir, are you all right?" I hear Botan call behind me. I turn and see her and the other girls leaning over the wall. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine, Botan. I'm a man, aren't I?" he says in reply, setting his hands on his hips. I blink, realizing that he's posturing to look cool for Botan, which means - he  _likes_  Botan.

"Just checking, sir!"

Kurama moves to stand beside me and wraps his hand around my wrist. I avoid his face because I know he's only glaring at me too. I look at the ground instead.

"Could you possibly explain what on earth was going through your mind the moment you rushed at such a powerful demon?" His voice is smooth and velveteen, and I know he's very angry at me by his quiet tone.

"Nothing," I answer honestly, still staring at the ground.

Yusuke claps a hand on my shoulder, grinning down at my face. "Hey, you wanna just take both of them for us? I bet you could win this whole Tournament single-handedly - I'll even give you Kuwabara's wish!"

"Hey!" Kuwabara shouts indignantly.

I crack a smile at him, appreciating the joke. Kurama doesn't, however, and his hand only tightens on my wrist. "You should go say hi to Keiko," I tell him, knowing that Kurama is about to take me somewhere and scold me like a child. I really don't want other people to see that.

Kurama tugs on my arm, leading me away through the triangular doors.

* * *


	22. Bartholomew

**Alice Alive**

**Chapter Twenty-two: Bartholomew**

**By, Kajihenge Yoko**

_Oh my God,_

_Please help me, neck deep in the river screaming for relief,_

_He says it's mine to give, but it's yours to choose,_

_You're gonna sink or swim, you're gonna learn the truth,_

_No matter what you do, you're gonna learn the truth, saying,_

_Ate the bread that once was stone,_

_Fell from a cliff, never broke a bone,_

_Bowed down to get the kings overthrown,_

_And I'm all alone, and the fire grows,_

_And I'm all alone, and the fire grows._

**Kurama's POV**

"Don't be a grump," Alice says firmly, as I pull her into the locker room under the stadium. "I'm not two, and you are not my dad." Her pointed chin is stubborn and her dark blue eyes warn me not to test her patience. Perhaps a different tactic is in order then. Certainly, I was prepared to scold her as if she were the child she occasionally acted like, but because I tend to forget that Alice actually is a grown adult and force her to bend to my will more often than not, it's no wonder she's so defensive. Maybe a gentler approach would achieve more results.

I force my anger down then. "I know that, Alice, but you were still very reckless." Vaulting herself off an eight-foot wall in stilettos and rushing at a B-class demon like she did things like that everyday, like she wasn't fragile or  _impossibly_  human – it made my blood boil. I keep a neutral expression on my face though.

Her eyes flash. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think that I just go about my life with a blindfold on?"

I stop her before she gets any angrier, raising my hand in a placating gesture. "I do not think you're  _stupid_ , I think you are  _impulsive_. And it's going to get you  _killed_  one day," I say, nudging her to sit on a bench. "Did you hurt yourself at all?" I ask, eyeing her silver heels. I honestly have no idea how she did not break both of her ankles from jumping from such a height.

She frowns, circling her feet. "Nope. I'm fine." She looks back up at me, slouching on the bench, eyes wandering all over my bloody clothes. "What about you, Kurama? Should you sit down?"

I comply, sitting down as gingerly as possible. Karasu missed a lot of vital areas, but he did aim for my thighs and backside. I hate to admit it, but I am very worn out and beat up at the moment. As durable as I may be, my body is still human.

Alice is giving me a rather soft look now. There is a little pain in her expression, and her mouth is pulled into a glum frown. Her hands curl in her lap. "I was worried about you."

"I know," I say. "I heard you." Her voice shouting that she'd never forgive me if I died – how could anyone not hear something like that, honestly. Oddly, it had given me a little strength though, at the time. "Did you mean it? You really wouldn't have forgiven me?" It was such a silly thing to say, but I really believed she meant it at the time at least. That desperate tone, a roaring plea, only Alice could have threatened something like that with that kind of voice.

"How the hell could I forgive something as stupid as being killed by  _that_  guy?" she mutters, turning away, embarrassed. She folds her arms and slouched a little more. She wonders why I don't treat her like an adult, but the truth is, sometimes I don't think she's any more mature than Yusuke. Over the years, the feeling that it's somehow my duty to take care of her has grown. She can deny it all she wants, but it doesn't change the fact that she  _needs_  me. With her slouching and pouting like that, it's not hard to think that she's actually sixteen anyway. However, every now and then, she  _does_  act like an adult, and when she does it takes me by surprise.

I chuckle at her, pulling her blonde hair toward me, fingertips grazing her spine. "I believe you. I probably should have taken your earlier suggestion about his long-range fighting abilities more seriously. I feel so dense for missing something like that."

She scowls as I separate her hair to braid, tossing a glare at me. "This is why I tell you to  _listen_  to me once in awhile. I'm not as dumb as the blonde hair suggests." Her scowl vanishes and then a bright smile replaces it, scattering away any shadows in her eyes. "And now I get to say:  _I told you so_."

"Your self-satisfaction is a one-time victory," I say, tugging on her hair playfully. "Enjoy it while it lasts." She gives a preening smile and turns to face forward, letting me weave her hair in a thick, messy braid. A wave of her perfume hits me as she turns her neck. The top notes of citrus, middle notes of hyacinth and jasmine, and the broad base note of patchouli engulfs me for a moment. Her lavender soap appears underneath her perfume, and underneath that comes her own soft human scent. After that is the faint whiff of Hiei from this morning. I stop and start braiding again slowly. If Alice notices my pause she doesn't say anything.

I know that something is going on between her and Hiei. I don't particularly like it, but I suppose I don't have much of a say in the matter. Alice and Hiei are cut from the same cloth in the regard that both of them will do whatever they want and not care about the consequences. I don't really understand why Hiei would be drawn to her though. Alice is a human, and he hates her kind in general. I suppose that at least she and Yusuke have both grown on him, but I still find it hard to believe that Hiei can look past Alice being human long enough to be romantically interested in her. Her other qualities: her sense of humor, her appearance, and her work ethic are not bad. But the girl possibly has the absolute  _worst_  luck I have ever seen. And as for her intelligence, well, I feel that she's always been more book-smart than anything.

Although, she did see through Karasu where I did not. Her intuition is definitely a plus.

I try to look at her through my old eyes for a moment, examining her as Youko Kurama. I am closer to my old demonic self now than I have been in ages, and I am not disappointed. I can feel a familiar coldness come over me, a mocking energy, and a quick calculative boredom. My old self is here, beneath the surface, and I remember that the first time I met her she made me curious. Now, she makes the old me hungry.

I push the feeling back, still not satisfied. I'm not sure what to make of that sort of feeling, like I want to bully her to see what she would do. I don't think it's the same way Hiei feels about her, because Alice would never put up with that sort of thing. No, Hiei is much more pure than I am. He hasn't had thousands of years of boredom to drive him, and he's simpler than myself. Give Hiei a good fight, a good opponent, a new technique to master, and he can be entertained for ages. It isn't so easy for me anymore. I want to squeeze every drop of meaning out of life itself.

Maybe I'm just hard to please.

"Alice," I begin, wondering if I should even bother.

"Hm?" she asks, glancing back at me. Her eyes are widened so that she can see me from the way she's angled away from me. The overhead lights brighten her eyes.

"The relationship between you and Hiei has changed, hasn't it? Are you two together now?" I ask curiously, keeping my face neutral. I'm not angry. I'm not upset. I don't know what I feel. Empty, maybe. Blank.

Her eyebrows mash together and her mouth pulls into a scowl. "Goddamn it, Kurama, do you have to know  _everything?"_  She pulls away from me and the braid I made falls loose as she jumps to her feet. "It's  _none_  of your business, and I don't want to hear it, because all you ever do is judge me and try to make me feel small enough to fit into this tiny little metaphorical  _box_ , and I have no idea what the hell it is you want from me –"

"You were trying to keep it from me," I say, curling my hands into fists on my lap. I feel a twinge of anger. "Are you ashamed of something, Alice?"

The way her face pales and her blue eyes widen tells me that I've hit the mark. "Of course not," she lies, holding herself. "What is there to be ashamed of? Hiei is good for me –"

"But you're not good for him, and you know it," I say flatly, feeling a mixture of cruelty and triumph. I can see it all now from the way she's so defensive. The way that Hiei looks at her, and the way that she returns his glances as if she's holding something back, like a nervous tick. She knows, one day, that it will all implode. Hiei's feelings for her are obvious to someone who knows him as well as I do, and her using him is just as obvious. " _That's_  what you're ashamed of. I never knew you could be so cruel."

Her mouth trembles and I can tell that she's on the verge of tears. "Why are you saying these things? Don't you think I know this already? Do you think I enjoy being so  _weak?"_

I blink, realizing that I've gone too far. Why did I push her so hard? Ah, of course, my old self is boiling over now like a pot of water. I'm scalding her with that personality. But still. "Hiei is my closest friend, Alice," I say, feeling much clearer and calmer. "If you think that I wouldn't say something to you about this, then you're wrong. I don't want to see either of you hurt. He's young for a demon, he doesn't know much about women – especially human ones. As for you, you're so vulnerable –"

"Shut up," she snaps, eyes flashing. "Do you think that I want to hear that from you?"

I suppose she wouldn't. After all I am the one who hurt her the most. I'm the one who made her this way and pushed her so far, and I suppose if Hiei does get hurt from this it'll be my fault. I watch Alice's hands curl into fists and think that if I don't do something quickly, she'll never talk to me again.

The door suddenly swings open, and Kuwabara appears with Hiei's prone form slung over his back. "Special delivery," he grumps, stepping inside. He stops, looking between Alice and me. "What's going on?" His eyes widen as he feels the rage and anguish coming from Alice.

"Nothing," Alice says, voice carefully blank. "I'm going back to the hotel."

Kuwabara blinks and jumps out of her way to the door. "But what about mine and Urameshi's fights? You're going to miss the best parts of the Tournament!"

Her shoulders tense and she looks at the ground as she makes her way past him. She glances at Hiei's sleeping face and looks back down. "Sorry, Kuwabara. I just can't be here anymore. I'll see you later." With that, she darts out of the room and down the corridor, heels clacking softer and softer as she gets out of hearing range.

"What did you do?" Kuwabara accuses, frowning at me. He roughly drops Hiei onto the other bench and turns to me, hands on his hips. He looks like a disappointed mother. "Only you could make her run away like that, Kurama. I keep thinking you're this really nice guy, and then you go and pull something like that. You're just as bad as Hiei!"

I give a heavy sigh. "Maybe I'm worse."

Kuwabara jumps, looking a little ashamed. "I – I didn't really mean that, buddy, you know that. It's just, you know, me and Shizuru look out for her," Kuwabara says with a helpless shrug. "And you try your best, but sometimes I think you'd rather get rid of her than deal with her. I don't know why you have to push her buttons so much. You know exactly what sets her off, and you still do it, and then you even act surprised when it happens. I don't get it, man. You're not stupid."

I rub my temple and sigh again. Kuwabara is right. I do have the unfortunate habit of doing everything in my power to make Alice angry. It seems like every time I turn around I've done something to hurt her, and I can't or won't stop myself from doing it. It can't be love. Something like this never happened with Maya.

Or maybe. Maybe it's because of what happened with Maya.

* * *

Hiei wakes up six hours later, jumping to his feet almost immediately. I close my book, telling him about how they had to get a replacement ring for the next rounds, and he hasn't missed anything.

"I see," he says, sitting back down against the bench. He looks around the locker room. "Where are the others?"

"Yusuke and Kuwabara got bored and went for a walk," I told him. "The girls went off too, but I think they're still around the arena. Yukina is safe, don't worry."

Hiei levels his red gaze at me, and without any hesitation or apprehension at all, bluntly asks, "Where's Alice?"

I sigh. "I made her angry, possibly angrier than I've ever seen her. She left to go back to the hotel," I told him, slouching and resting my elbows on my knees. "I hope you'll forgive me. It was for your sake."

He merely stared at me. "What are you talking about, Kurama? My sake?"

"I called her cruel," I answer him honestly.

He blinks in response, confused, and then it slowly seems to dawn on him. His eyes narrow. "You think I'm incapable of seeing why she's really with me, don't you?"

"No, Hiei, I know you see it too," I reply. And I know he does. He just doesn't care.

"Then what is it? Do you think I'm incapable of making my own decsi –" He stops, and his red eyes widen in some realization and narrow at me again. "I see. That's it. You're doing the same exact thing to me that you do to her. You think you know better than everyone else, and you manipulate others to follow your unsolicited advice for what? Some sort of twisted self-satisfaction?"

"I just...I don't want anyone to get hurt," I answer, but even so, I know I'm going about this the wrong way. I feel a pounding headache start in my temples.

"Kurama, has anyone ever told you to mind your own business?" Hiei asked.

"I'm sure Alice has, numerous times, but I can't ignore her. And I can't ignore you either," I say, straightening. "You're my best friend, my closest comrade, and I know that she'll hurt you in the long run. I just don't want to see that."

His expression becomes stony. "Try it. Try a hands-off approach for a while and see how much better it will serve you, because you  _really_  need to mind your own business, you nosy fox. What goes on between her and myself is between us, and I will not allow your interference. No matter how much you  _can't ignore her_ ," he spat. "It's because you refuse to leave her alone that she hates you. I don't care what your reasons are, but if you come between us again, I will kill you."

He is serious, red gaze glaring, jaw hard.

I sigh. "I understand."

* * *

**Back to Alice**

Kurama's words stick in my chest like a knife. I lay on my bed in my hotel room, staring up at the ceiling. Shadows move across it, as the sun changes positions in the sky. I've been crying, but now I feel empty, and immobile.

_Am I cruel?_

I've been lying on the bed for hours, letting my thoughts circle around and around and around. I can't seem to find the end of them, a solution, or absolution. I have no idea what I'm doing with Hiei. I like him, even love him in a way, but I don't feel in love with him. I know I'm not being fair. I know I'm taking advantage. I know he doesn't care, but even if he doesn't care, it doesn't make it okay.

I pull myself up, realizing that I can't lie here forever, and check my reflection in the mirror. My eyeliner is messy, so I smudge it and neaten it into a smoky eye, adding another layer of liner. I think it makes me look dark and haunted, and it's a perfect reflection of how I feel. I decide to soften it with a pink blush, however, thinking that I really don't want to give Kurama the satisfaction of how much he hurt me today. I don't know if I can forgive him for the things he said.

But at the same time, I know I he has a perfectly legitimate point, and I'll probably end up forgiving him anyway, because he's  _Kurama_  and I'm  _Alice_. My love and forgiveness for him is inevitable, no matter how much he hurts me. No matter how much I want to run away from him, he's inescapable. He's endless.

And Hiei...he's just a distraction.

Oh, God. I  _am_  cruel. I am  _heartless_.

I grab my green bomber jacket and let myself out of the hotel room, intent on going to find Hiei. If I beg him to dump me, maybe it'll be much clearer. Once he's free of me, he'll be safe from me. I won't be able to hurt him.

I head up to the boys room and knock, but no one answers. I swing open the door, finding it unlocked, but it's dark and empty inside. I remember something now – the Tournament is still going on because Hiei and Bui destroyed the stadium. I need to go back there, then.

I turn and leave the room, closing the door behind me, and take the elevator down to the lobby. It's chilly outside, and I pull my jacket on, eyeing the low sun. It's about five o'clock, according to my watch. No one is around me as I make my way back to the arena, aside from the birds chattering in the woods, it's silent.

It doesn't take me long to reach the end of the woods, to the wide-open space for the stadium. I stop, blinking at it. There is a wall up around it, but waves of demons are rushing out of the hole in the side of it. I see the stadium trembling, and I can hear a wailing siren as red lights flash around what's left of the roof.

 _Oh, crap_. I had forgotten about this part. How? I have no idea, except my head was filled with other things. I stay at the edge of the woods though, deciding that it would be a bad idea to run in and try to go after my friends. They knew I wasn't in there after all, at least if Kuwabara or Kurama had told them I left. I feel a twinge in my heart for Shizuru, knowing that she's losing Sakyo right as I stand here. If only he weren't so stubbornly stupid, maybe they could have made it.

I squint at the hole in the wall, trying to see someone I recognize. The wailing sirens seem to grow louder and more insistent as I wait. I  _want_  to go and make sure everyone is coming along, but I remember that they don't get out until the very last minute. I know it's dumb, but I find myself edging closer and closer to the stadium, squinting harder.

Finally, I see the familiar bronze of Kuwabara's tall head, Yukina's mint green hair, and Kurama's brilliant auburn. The others, Keiko, Yusuke, Botan, and Hiei are following them. I don't see Shizuru or Koenma, but I know they're coming. My friends run hard away from the crumbling stadium, and Kuwabara is the first to spot me, and waves his arms enthusiastically.

"Alice! Alice! We beat them!" he cries, coming to a stumbling halt in front of me. "Jeez, you were smart going back to the hotel like that – imagine if you'd been caught in that mess!" he says jutting a thumb over his shoulder.

"Shizuru!" I yell, startling him. Shizuru, Koenma, and George are rushing forward, clouds of dust enveloping them as the building crashes behind them with a loud cracks and bangs. I relax as I realize they are not in any danger, and they stop in front of the rest of us, panting and turning to look at the rest of the stadium collapse into a heap of rubble.

It explodes wildfire,  _BOOM_  like a nuclear bomb, and shoots rubble and debris into the murky, dusty air. I cover my face to protect myself from the rush of heat, and it singes my lungs and smells like molten rock. The heat vaguely reminds me of Hiei, and I remember what I originally came to do.

Not in front of the others though.

"It's the end," Kuwabara murmurs, looking at the crumbled, smoking heap of rubble.

"Yeah," Yusuke says, somber, giving the once-stadium a dark look. "Finally."

There was a moment of silence, then, "Augh!" Atsuko suddenly shouts, eyes wild. Her hands curl into irritated claws. "They said that after we've won they'd grant our wishes! We've been tricked! We won't be getting anything!"

"Damn, you're right," Kuwabara says, looking annoyed.

Yusuke sighs, and his expression grows darker. "It doesn't matter, we still fought. The only wish I had to fulfill won't be granted." He turns his face up to the sky, eyes pained, and yells, "Hey! Old hag!  _We won!"_

Hiei's hot hand closes around my elbow, and he tugs me to the side of him, stoplight red eyes roving over my face. He doesn't say anything, but I can tell that he must have been concerned about me. I notice he's still missing his bandana for his Jagan, although the eye is closed now, and his forehead looks deceptively smooth. His expression is unreadable.

"Let's go back," Keiko suggests, eyeing Shizuru's cloudy face.

Shizuru looks at Sakyo's grave with a wave of rage and a murmur of anguish. I don't know what to say to her, but I think it's something that she has to work out for herself. Sakyo betrayed her by killing himself. She knows it, and she also knows that he was a troubled man – no matter what he felt for her. Something like that isn't as simple as  _I loved someone and he died_ , and it could never be so easy with Sakyo. He was too complex and too tortured, and while I think their relationship wouldn't have worked out in the long run, I think the experience he gave Shizuru – the love he had for her – was a good thing. That kind of passion is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it's something that should never be passed up for something safe and sound.

I think she was lucky to meet him.

She turns away from the rubble and starts into the woods. Keiko and Botan slowly follow her, leaves crunching under their sluggish steps. The others fall in line behind them, and Hiei and I take up the rear, his hand still around my elbow. I avoid looking at Kurama, but I can feel him glance at me every so often.

The walk back to the hotel is silent, heavy, and darkening. The sunset is brilliant, pink and orange fading into navy night, but no one seems to notice it. Hiei is tense beside me, and I can feel him on the verge of saying something. He'll wait until we get privacy though. He isn't the type to talk openly in front of everyone, and neither am I.

We separate from the others once we reach the lobby, slipping away into an elevator, taking it up to my floor. Hiei's hand falls by his side as the door closes behind us, and he stops in the middle of the room. His back is turned to me as he looks out the wide window that faces the forest.

"You left today."

"Yes," I say, watching the tense line of his shoulders.

"Kurama told me what happened," he continues, shoulders growing tenser still. "He shouldn't have said that."

"But, he was right, Hiei," I murmur, feeling the knife throb in my chest. "He was right, and I know it, and it's true because I  _am_  just using you. It isn't fair to you, and I can't stand it."

"Why?" he asks, turning his face over his shoulder at me. His stoplight red eyes pin me to the spot, waiting expectantly. He clarifies at my confused look. "Why can't you stand it?"

"Because I care about you," I answer, curling my hands up. "I don't want to see you hurt, much less hurt you."

He pauses, expression softening slightly. He turns to face me fully, hands shoved in his pockets. His chin goes up. "We've gone over this. I've already told you that you aren't taking advantage of me. Is your skull really that thick?"

I feel my mouth tremble dangerously and my eyes burn with held-back tears. I'm not upset because he implied me to be dumb; I'm upset that he can't see what he's doing to himself. "Hiei, please, just dump me already. Find a nice demon girl –"

 _Bang_.

I jump as Hiei's palm hits the wall beside my head, his arm brushing against my hair, his nose an inch from mine. His expression isn't that fierce, but his eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth is in a line.

"Dump you? Why would I do that?" he demands quietly.

"I'm not good for you. You deserve someone whole – someone who isn't jagged and glued together, and someone who will only look at you –"

His head drops beside my face, and his hair brushes against my cheek. His breath tickles my neck as he rests his chin on my shoulder. "But I like those dark jagged pieces. They make you who you are – a vicious, stupid, impulsive idiot that goes after whatever she wants. You aren't afraid to make yourself dirty to achieve your goals. Of course, you're bad for me, but don't forget that I'm just as bad for you. People like us will only drag each other deeper into the underside of hell."

I shiver, even though his heat is rolling off his body. What he says is completely, utterly true. I will do whatever I must to get what needs to be done, done. After all, didn't I just get Sakyo and Shizuru together the other day? Wasn't I the one who fought five girls to protect Kitajima? Didn't I follow Yusuke and Kuwabara into the City of Ghosts and Apparitions? Haven't I been fooling around with one man to get over another? Haven't I been drinking for the past week with my friends? Don't I do everything in my power to make Kurama suffer when he hurts me?

"I'm not letting you go yet," he says, bringing his other arm up and around my waist. He pulls me against him. "What Kurama says doesn't matter to me, because it isn't his business. That foolish fox will learn that lesson one way or another."

He won't let me go, and I am too weak to force him. I  _need_  him. "Hiei..."

His mouth covers mine then, hot and demanding. His hands pull off my jacket and he turns me around, pushing me on the bed, hovering over me. He stares at me, gauging my reaction, and I'm not unwilling, but I do feel incredibly emotionally drained. "Is this okay?" he asks, sliding his hand under my shirt.

"Yes," I breathe. 

He smirks and pulls my shirt off me. I work at his clothes as he works at mine - excited, wanting - he's careful not to actually rip anything, but the force used to divest me is excessive. But then we're naked and I pull him on top of me. His hands leave fire on my skin, his lips and teeth a tornado of bliss, and he pulls me open to take him. I ache for him, but I take a moment to be sensible. 

"I'm on birth control," I say, tracing my fingertips over his arm, "and you know I've done this before in my last life, but not this one - "

"I won't hurt you," he says, dipping his head and pressing a kiss to my throat. "And there's nothing to transmit to you - your biology is different anyway."

"Okay." I catch his face between my hands and kiss him on the mouth. I trust Hiei, because he's never lied to me - but if I didn't trust him, I wouldn't be doing this with him. 

He shifts and cradles my breasts in his palms, squeezing them, and then drags his hot tongue over my nipple. I gasp, and he does it again, and works at me until I'm melting breathlessly against him. He kisses me then, and then trails his mouth over my breasts, my stomach, and lands between my legs. He gives me a lap, and my breath hitches in my throat. My clit tingles under his wet ministrations, his hot breath, and he keeps a grasp so tight on my thighs that it makes it even hotter. I come once, but he isn't finished. His fingers work their way into me, slowly, and he licks me and plunges into me until I can't breathe. It hurts just the slightest bit at first, but I quickly become unraveled. 

"I need you," I gasp, shuddering. 

He shifts and climbs back on top of me, cock warm and hard against my entrance. I lift my hips up against his, and he slowly pushes himself inside of me. He's watching my face as he does it, and I can feel him in my head, but all I can think is  _why do I have to be a virgin again?_ He's big and thick, and even with getting me off, it's still uncomfortable. Though, I don't think it hurt nearly as bad as my  _first_ first time. That felt like a knife stabbing me, and my first boyfriend wasn't exactly gentle. 

"You're here with me," Hiei says suddenly, grasping my chin. "Don't think about him."

"You're much better though," I say, swallowing. "Just slowly, okay?"

"You don't have to tell me that," he says dryly, pushing my hair off my neck. He kisses me there, and gives me a teasing lick. "I know what you need better than some selfish, ham-handed fifteen-year-old human."

I snort, but put my arms around his shoulders. He obliges me then and gives small, slow thrusts until I can get used to him. I can't help but compare my very first time to this time, if only because the situations are so different. It's quite nice to have your pleasure accounted for. Hiei's either ignoring or not paying attention to that train of thought, because he says nothing more as he kisses my neck. His thrusts get deeper as I relax and melt under his mouth. 

I feel gleeful when I realize I can take more of him, and lift my hips to meet his. He gives a soft grunt, but he lets me do as I like. He knows that if I really take my time, it'll be better for both of us - but soon the slow thrusting isn't enough. 

"Faster," I plead.

He's satisfied, judging by the glint in his red eyes, and changes his pace and grips my thigh tight. My head rolls and I moan at the feeling of him filling me and pounding me - I beg for more. He gives a throaty growl and shifts forward, taking me harder than before, grasping my hair tight in his fist. His teeth are in my my neck, and I can feel his youki roiling like boiling water. He feels taut and wired, and I can almost feel him resisting the urge to come before I do again. 

My skin burns and he bites me harder and I lose it - I come with a shuddering gasp, and Hiei follows. His come is so hot it nearly scorches, and his cock throbs snugly inside me, and it's so decadent that it keeps the orgasm trembling through my body. 

"Better?" Hiei asks.

I smile, flushed and content. "So much better. Are you all right? You went to sleep right after your fight with Bui."

He pulls out carefully and lies beside me, and his expression softens as he looks up at the dark ceiling. The only light in the room now is from the remains of the sunset from the window. It throws shadows on the wall and makes the room feel like a cave. "The Kokuryuuha expends a lot of energy. I just needed to hibernate to restore it. If I'm not at full power yet, I will be by tomorrow."

"Mm," I say, resting my head on his warm chest. I stiffen as I think of something. "Did Kuwabara happen to get any answers out of the older Toguro brother? About how he knew my real family name?"

"No, unfortunately the oaf is not privy to the fact that you have only told Kurama and myself your name, so I doubt that he thought of it. I was also too preoccupied to give it any consideration during the match. I still wonder how he found out about it – even though it doesn't seem that important."

I sit up, frowning, feeling my heart flutter nervously in my chest. "I think it  _is_  important. I have this really foreboding feeling that something bad is going to happen." I think back to the dream I had about my mother. "I had a dream about it too. Everything is so vague though."

I see Hiei's eyes narrow as the last of the sunlight disappears from the room.


	23. Forgiven

**Alice Alive**

**Chapter Twenty-three: Forgiven**

**By, KKYOKO**

_I sang Alleluia in the choir, oh,_

_Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia,_

_I confessed my darkest deeds to an envious man,_

_My brothers they never went blind for what they did,_

_But I may as well have,_

_In the name of the Father, the Skeptic, and the Son,_

_I had one more stupid question,_

_We all had our reasons to be there,_

_We all had a thing or two to learn,_

_We all needed something to cling to,_

_So we did._

_-Alanis Morissette_

I wake up warm, nestled against Hiei's hard body. His face is buried in the back of my neck, one arm wrapped around my waist, the other hidden under my pillow. The sky outside is a light grey, and I can tell today will be overcast and possibly rainy. The smell of sandalwood warms me, and I figure that Hiei must have had a bath after I fell asleep beside him. I decide that I'll have a bath as well and start to extract myself from his embrace, but his arm clenches tighter around me and he gives an unhappy, sleepy grunt.

"I need a shower," I murmur, turning my head to face him. "Let me up?"

His eyes squint open, red slits peering at me. His mouth pulls into a frown, and then a slightly amused smile at the sight of my bedhead. "Fine," he says, not at all sounding like he'd been asleep, "but hurry up."

He releases me and I roll to my feet, searching out the last of my clean clothes from my luggage and dart into the bathroom. I am pleased by the fact that we are finally going home today. I've always been a bit of a homebody, and I miss Shiori and Sitka. And my own bed. I even sort of miss school.

Bland would be a nice little respite from the excitement of the last ten days. Although, I know that Sensui and his lackeys will be showing up almost as soon as we get back. Maybe I can just avoid that all together, since I just want to be a little normal for awhile. Nice, normal, quiet life sounds very good about now.

I quickly wash up and pull on my clothes – a black pencil miniskirt, slouchy pink graphic t-shirt, and cozy thick knitted thigh-high tights – and comb and blow-dry my hair. I pull it into a fishtail braid, thinking it appropriate since we're getting back to the mainland by ferry. I head out to put on my makeup, eyeing Hiei sitting on the bed.

He watches me in mild interest as I bend in front of the mirror, rubbing primer on my face. I follow his gaze and see that he's not necessarily watching what I'm doing. Actually, he's plainly examining my backside. I feel a little amused, but decide not to call him out on it. After all, I've ogled his gorgeous body plenty of times, and I loathe to be called a hypocrite. Also, I really don't mind in the least.

"Do you always wear makeup?" he asks suddenly, frowning to himself. He's watching me brush liquid foundation over the bridge of my nose, brow furrowed.

"I do most of the time," I reply, trying to decide on which blush to wear. I decide on a pinker one and brush it over my cheekbones.

"Why?"

I blink at him in the mirror, surprised. "Because I like it?"

His expression told me he was unsatisfied with my answer, and I decide to elaborate a little more as I try to figure out what I want to do with my eyes. "I think there are a lot of girls who are uncomfortable going out without a stitch of makeup on, maybe because they don't think they're pretty enough without it, or they're insecure, or whatever. Anyway," I trail off, finally deciding to keep my eyes light and just highlight the corners of my eyes. "I've always liked makeup and fashion, and I like looking put together. Going without doesn't bother me, because I don't define my worth by how I look, but I still prefer to look nice. And it allows me to be creative, which is fun."

"I see," Hiei says succinctly, seeming more content with a longer, complicated answer. "I'll admit, I was concerned that you were too wrapped up in your human social constructs of how things must be done, but I am satisfied with your response."

"Hm," I say with a smile, rolling up my brush mat and stuffing my makeup back into its bag. "You thought I was being stupid."

"Naturally," he replied, not missing a beat. The corners of his mouth pulled up into a smirk.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "You're testing me."

He doesn't reply, but I take his widened smirk as a yes.

"Did I pass?" I ask, approaching him, turning my head to the side curiously. I stand in front of his perch on the edge of the bed, just out of his immediate reach.

I suddenly go sailing into the mattress, ceiling hurling before my eyes, and Hiei's weight pins me down as he crushes his mouth on mine in a demanding kiss. His hot hands go up my skirt, groping, exploring, turning me into a shuddering mess of ecstasy. I groan his name as his mouth slides down my neck, nipping and sucking, hot breath clouding my skin.

"Can I take this as a yes?" I murmur, slipping my hands in his shirt, fingers running up his sides. He twitches, and I realize he's ticklish.

He offers an affirmative, "Hn," before pressing his mouth against mine again. This kiss is slower, but no less demanding and he slides between my thighs, pushing my skirt up and cupping my bottom. His other hand goes to the back of my head, holding me up, and he deepens the kiss. His tongue darts into my mouth, exploring, invading, but not unwelcome. I am melting like a puddle, and I press my hips against his, needing him again. 

He yanks my panties out of the way and pushes his cock into me,  _deep_ , and I give a throaty moan. He fills me to the brim, and I take him gratefully, like water in a desert. He shifts and turns us over, so I'm on top, but he's still sitting up and holding me possessively. I decide I like him this way and kiss him hard as I rock my hips against his. It's easy for me to come this way, and I've soaked through my panties and he groans when I finally shudder and come. 

He grabs my chin. "Get on your hands and knees."

My breath hitches in my throat, and I'm pleased with his command. "Only if you promise to spank me."

There's a slightly sadistic glint in his eye and his lips twist in a smile. "Done."

I get out of his lap and prop myself up on the bed. He yanks my skirt up higher, stretches my panties over to the other side, and then seemed to get annoyed with them.

"I'm taking these off," he says, sliding them down my thighs. "You can keep the rest on."

I toss a smile over my shoulder.

He straightens and grabs himself to guide his cock into me, and sighs. "You're as tight as you were last night, and  _wet_ \- "

"That's because I like you," I tell him, thrusting backwards on his cock. "Take me, Hiei."

He didn't need telling twice. He grabs my hips and drives into me like an animal, and I can't help the moaning and keening spilling out of my mouth. He smacks my ass and grabs me by the back of my neck to hold me as he fucks me even harder. I touch myself with one hand and come again, gasping for air. He groans and somehow manages to pound even faster, and his hot come splatters inside me, almost violently. 

I laugh. "I have to wash again."

He pulls out and turns me over, pressing me flat against the mattress to kiss me. "No, you don't. I like you this way, smelling of sex and my come."

"I'm not sure everyone will appreciate it in the same way," I say wryly. "Besides, after you pull out it gets all cold and sticky."

He gives me a cool look. "Don't worry about Kurama."

"I'm not," I say, getting up and going back towards the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and clean up, checking my tights and skirt for any spots. They seemed largely unscathed, but I was sure that even without that, Kurama would still know everything anyway. His nose was too strong, and he wasn't exactly thick. I dressed again with a fresh pair of panties and went back out to find Hiei pacing the floor.

"Hurry up," he says. "The others will be ready to leave soon."

"All right," I sigh. I pack the rest of my things away and put on my coat to meet the others.

* * *

Keiko sighs. "I'm so relieved that Genkai is alive. I'm so glad that Koenma was able to bring her back." Her brown eyes find the short, elderly woman on the deck. Genkai is standing next to Atsuko and Yusuke, and they look like they're giving him hell about something.

I remember the feeling I felt when she died, and wish I could forget it. "I'm glad too. Even though I don't really know her or anything, I know that it was really hard on Yusuke. I'm sure it was hard on you too, Botan."

"Taking her soul to the Reikai certainly wasn't easy," she answered, fighting off a depressed look. She forced a smile. "But it's all over now, and everything is right as it should be!"

Keiko changes the subject to something more pleasant. "Should we do something when we get back?" she asks me, glancing at Botan beside her, leaning against the rail of the ferry. "I don't know if you need to leave right away, Botan, but if you don't –"

"Oh, Keiko, I'm sorry," Botan says, sheepishly, "I haven't been to work properly in days, and I know Koenma-sama expects me as soon as possible." Her hair is pushed blown away from her face by the wind. "Maybe we could meet up another time? What about next Sunday? We could karaoke again!"

"That sounds fun," I say, giving her a smile. I turn to Keiko, widening my stance to accommodate for the rocking of the ferry. "Maybe you and Yusuke can get together for the rest of the day? You probably would like to spend some time alone with him, don't you?"

Keiko brightens up. "Yeah, I do, actually. It's been awhile, and I've missed him. But you know," she trails off, looking thoughtfully at the choppy sea. "These past ten days, we've all grown so close, us girls, and I just don't want to lose that. I hope we can all stay good friends..."

"Oh, Keiko!" Botan laughs throwing her arms around her.

"I think you mean  _best_  friends," I say, giving Keiko a pointed smile.

"Exactly!" Botan exclaims, grinning happily, squeezing Keiko for all she's worth. "I haven't been so excited for a Sunday in  _decades_ , I'll have you know! I've never had so many close girlfriends all at once, and I'm  _super_  happy about it!"

Keiko's face breaks out into a pleased smile, and she hugs Botan back. I throw my arms around them both, feeling fuzzy inside.

We break apart after a moment, and Keiko sighs. She spots Yusuke chatting with Kurama, and tosses us a smile. "I'm going to go talk to him now, okay?"

"Okay," Botan and I say together, standing close against the cold, cutting wind. We exchange grins and watch her steal him away from Kuwabara and Kurama and step inside the cabin with him. I notice Shizuru standing at the bow, smoking a cigarette, all alone.

I hear Botan sigh beside me, and I know she sees her too. "She's been so depressed lately. Ever since the last round, it's like she's had a huge wall around her."

"You remember that guy I told you I was trying to set her up with?" I say, wondering why Shizuru didn't tell Botan about Sakyo, but then realized that it would be out of character for her.

Botan nods.

"He was Sakyo," I tell her, facing her fully.

Botan's mouth hangs open in a strangled  _"oh"_ , and her pink eyes are huge in shock. "That means then –"

"Yeah," I say, frowning at Shizuru's back. "Do you think we should leave her alone? I'm not really sure what to do."

Botan's face brightens with determination. "We do  _not_  leave her alone! Definitely not. I'm going to march right over there myself and get her out of that black cloud she's in!" And so she does, and I'm left watching her back, wondering how Botan is so strong and amazing.

I really don't know what to say to Shizuru. What  _do_ you say to someone who just lost her lover? I'm sorry, I hope it works out better next time? What can I possibly say?

I turn away from Botan and Shizuru and watch other people for awhile. Kuwabara and Kurama are standing a ways from me, talking. Yukina is toward the back of the ferry, taking in the human sea with avid interest, so absorbed in observing everything that I'd feel bad if I interrupted her. Hiei is standing on top of the cabin, cloak billowing around him in the cold wind. He doesn't look at me, if he can tell that I'm watching him. I wonder where Genkai and Atsuko went, but then I think they must be inside the cabin where it's warmer.

I watch others, humans, demons, in-betweeners. There's a load of people leaning against the rails, sauntering about the deck – I think I see Naoto's hair, but he disappears behind a brown-haired foreign man before I can see him properly.

I huff, staring at the foreigner's back, annoyed that he got in my line of sight.

Kurama sidles up to me, leaning his back against the rail. "You look upset," he says, glancing at the bow of the boat. "Is there a fight going on between you girls?"

"No," I say, wondering how he can be so casual since the last time we talked I nearly tore him a new one. "Nothing like that." I don't feel very amicable, so I decline to tell him what's really going on. I turn back to the sea, and see that we're coming close to the mainland. I breathe in the salty, icy air, trying to ignore Kurama, hoping he'll go away. I want to bottle the smell of the ocean and sell it, I think. I'll make billions and move away to London or something. No, not London – Puerto Rico. That sounds better.

I feel warmth against my face and blink, realizing that Kurama is cupping my cheek. His eyes are sad and heavy, and I can't find it in myself to pull away. I feel like I'm already forgiving him.

"I'm sorry," he says, voice deep and unwavering. "I said awful things, uncalled for things. I'm sorry, Alice."

The heat from his hand makes me realize that my cheeks are freezing and I'm actually rather cold on the deck. Kurama isn't burning like Hiei, but his warmth is still welcome for some reason. I do, honest to God, I  _do_  want to jut my chin and stubbornly refuse to forgive him. But I feel the ice cracking on my skin, and the warmth of him seeping inescapably into my body.

"Yeah," I say finally, acknowledging his apology. I don't exactly completely forgive him, but in the long run, it won't really matter. He'll slip under my guard again somehow, and I'll get hurt again, and I'll sort of almost-not-quite forgive him again. I wonder if we're doomed to this cycle of take and break, or if we can ever evolve past it.

His hand drops to his side, and he presses his shoulder against me, offering me warmth. I think about going inside the cabin, but for some reason I'm stuck to my place on the deck. Maybe my feet are frozen there.

I stare out into the choppy sea, watching the mainland grow bigger and bigger, and try to remember any Spanish I learned long ago.

* * *

The glass of the window is cold, I notice as I watch the wind shake the bare branches of the tree in the courtyard. It brings a chill through the thin wall, and I give a small shiver, wishing I were closer to the heater. The steel grey sky stares back at me, daring me to go outside.

The walk home is going to be unbearably cold - especially since I forgot my scarf at home again.

Students murmur around me, occasionally giggling and moving their chairs and desks around. Kitajima suddenly plops her chair at my desk and leans forward with her chin on her hands. She gives me a bright smile.

"Guess what?" she says, grinning.

"What?"

She squirms in her seat, like an excited puppy. "I got a boyfriend over the break!"

I am uncertain what sentiment I should use. "Good for you," I finally settle on, after a second. It's not that I'm not happy for her, but maybe I'm a little jaded. I pull my mouth into a smile. "Tell me about him."

She doesn't seem to notice my mood. She launches into an excited ramble about how she met him through a friend of her family, and how he's going to the same school she's planning on going to, and how he's super, duper,  _amazingly_  attractive. Her brown eyes are bright and warm – a nice contrast to the cold grey outside. I wonder if she couldn't coax the sun to come out with her happiness. She pulls out a picture of her new boyfriend, a purikura they took together, and passes it to me. I notice that he's definitely a total looker, and he has a nice smile. He's got a kind expression in his eyes.

"I'm really happy for you," I say, sliding the picture back to her.

Her smile falters suddenly, and she looks a little ashamed. "I'm sorry Minamino-chan, I got too caught up in my own happiness and forgot that you were still single. Isn't there anyone you're interested in?"

I blink at her. "What?"

"I mean, I haven't seen you show any interest in anyone, so I just wondered if there was someone you liked..." she trails off, embarrassed.

I scratch my head, wondering how to best answer the question. I suppose keeping Kitajima out of the loop as much as possible would probably be the most ideal thing. Kurama would probably kill me if she got too involved with us again. And it's not like I really want to tell Kitajima all about Hiei and me. She's a really nice kid, but still. She's a kid. "No," I say, finally, "I don't have someone I like yet. Maybe in high school. Speaking of which, tell me more about the school you picked."

Kitajima grasps the subject change gratefully. "Oh, it's really cool! It's really nice because it's close to my house and everything, so I won't have to take the train anymore, and they've  _actually got a paranormal club!_  I'm so excited to graduate, Minamino-chan, and then I can go to school with my boyfriend too. It's like something out of a shoujo manga!" She giggles. "What about you?"

"Mm. I've been thinking about Sato, but there's a private science school that I'm looking into too. I think Shiori-san would rather me go there, but she hasn't said anything to me about it. She just looks sort of pained when I bring Sato up. I wonder what I should do," I say, looking back outside.

Kitajima practically leaps at me. "You should talk to her, of course! How do you really know that's what she's thinking unless she says it? Open the lines of communication! You may be surprised!"

I give her a warm smile. I only bring that up because I know Kitajima honestly does feel bad about parading her shiny new boyfriend around in front of me, even though I honestly couldn't care less about something like that, so long as she is happy. I just want to give her an opportunity to feel like a good friend again. By her warm glow I can tell she already feels better, and I give her a wider smile. "You always know what to do, Kitajima. I wish we could go to high school together too. Let's stay friends after graduation, okay?"

She grins and I can see her aura, a swirling energy of pink and gold, suddenly surround her. "Of course, Minamino-chan!"

I smile happily.

The bell rings, and school is officially over, and Kitajima jumps to her feet. "Oh! I've got to hurry! I have to give a girl in class C some notes!" She gives me a last smile, snatches up her things, and darts out of the classroom in a small blur.

"Bye!" I call after her, standing up and sliding my notebook into my bag.

Tasaka groans in frustration, two desks to my right, looking after the way she ran. "Damn it, I missed her today too!" He huffs and grabs his bag, throwing it over his shoulder and then stops – eyes landing on me. He gives me a frown and weaves his way through the other students and stops at my desk. "Hey. What were you and Kitajima talking about?"

"Why?" I ask, giving him a scowl, shouldering my bag.

"Just tell me," he snaps.

"Tch, I don't have to tell you a goddamned thing. Get out of my way, already. I want to go home," I demand, watching his face darken. He looks like he might pick a fight, but then Kurama steps beside me, giving him a politely interested look. Tasaka winces and steps aside, and I walk right past him, Kurama at my elbow.

"I wonder if he'll ever give up on Maya," Kurama says with a frown as soon as we're out of the classroom.

"I hope so. He's got a temper," I reply, as we head downstairs, "and she's got a boyfriend now, apparently, which is probably what he wanted to know more about."

Kurama's face doesn't change at all. "I overheard."

I guess he still has a thing for her after all. "He looks nice enough, I guess, from the picture she showed me. Not the sort that I'd like, but nice."

Kurama's eyebrows go up, and his green eyes slide over to me. "If you don't like him, then I suppose he really will be good for her."

I stop on the stairway, and gape at him. "You... _jackass_."

"You have to admit your taste in men is questionable," he says, teasing smile on his wide mouth. He reaches up and takes my hand, tugging lightly. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumble, stomping down the stairs after him. His hand is much larger than mine, and warm too, and I can't find it in myself to actually be angry with him.

We stop and change into our street shoes, and follow the crowd of eager students out into the sidewalk and we make our way home. I give a shiver as a burst of icy wind shoots through me, and I tug my blazer tighter around me.

Kurama notices and sighs, pulling his scarf from his neck. "Hold still," he requests, hovering over me with it.

I do and his drops the scarf on top of my head, wrapping it under my chin and around my neck like a hood. I glare at him as his mouth twitches suspiciously.

"You look like a babushka doll," he manages finally, holding back his laughter.

I sigh, but don't feel up to chastising him. The scarf creates a bubble of warmth around me, and I feel much better. I press my shoulder against his arm when a blast of wind cuts through us. I don't think Kurama gets cold very easily, but as he did just give me his scarf, I suppose it couldn't hurt to be nice to him.

"I heard you mention the idea of school to Maya as well. Do you really think Mother would be unhappy if you chose to go to Sato?" he asks, eyes as warm as his scarf. His smile is kind.

I give another sigh. "I just don't want to disappoint her, you know? I  _like_  science well enough, but I don't want a job  _in_  the field and I don't want to teach. I want a job that's fun, and I'll be happy to go to every day. I've done enough crummy jobs for  _three_  lifetimes."

Kurama gives a thoughtful noise. "What all have you done?"

I hold up my hands and start counting off. "Grocery store checker, I waited tables for  _long_  time, then I was a barista at Starbucks, I cleaned houses for awhile, worked in my ex's father's bait shop, did some English tutoring for high schoolers, baby-sat my neighbors kids, groomed horses, and then I spent a week painting houses for a realtor. I've done a lot of odd jobs on top of all that." I suppose most normal twenty-somethings don't go through as many jobs as I had, but at some points I had been working three jobs at once to be able to live on my own. "What about you? Has your occupation always involved thievery?"

He smiles in amusement. "For the most part. Although, I did pirate for a little while."

I blink. "Wow, really? Why did you stop pirating?"

"As you can probably imagine by the nature of my powers, I've always been strongest on land," he informs me lightly, smiling. "Always play to your strengths, I say."

"Ah, yes, I see," I agree. I look up and find that we are nearly home already.

"I think Maya is right about you talking to Mother about going to Sato," he says, suddenly. "At least one of us should go to high school – even if it is an art school. And I highly doubt that Mother will be that adverse to Sato, simply because it's an opportunity to spoil you, if anything. I think she wishes she could spoil us a lot more than she does – especially you."

I give him a confused look. "Why me? You're her son."

"Yes, but," he says, tilting his head to the side, looking down at me, " _you're_  her daughter. I think she relates to you more than me because you're a girl."

I blink at him. "Well...if you say so, Kurama. I'll talk to her about it tonight."

He smiles again, pleased. "You should let yourself be spoiled once in awhile, Alice. I know that you've grown up very differently than you would have if you were born here, and I know as an American you were expected to be extremely self-sufficient, but every now and then it's important to look up an accept what is being handed to you."

"I know," I huff, "but I just don't want to put Shiori out or anything."

Kurama's warm hand engulfed my shoulder and squeezed. "Don't worry so much about that. She just wants you to be happy."

"Hmm." I tighten the scarf around my head as we turn the corner and approach the house. I see a brown car parked on the street. "Hatanaka's here. Wonder if he'll stay for dinner?"

"Most likely," Kurama says, hand falling away from my shoulder. "I smell chopped onions. I think it might be nikujaga."

"Tofu?" I ask, worrying my brow.

"Of course. You know Mother wouldn't feed you beef."

"I know, but she might want to make it for Hatanaka-san," I reply, relieved, hopping up the step to the house. "We're back!" I call into the house as I swing open the door. Sitka immediately bowls into me, giving me happy, happy puppy dog kisses.

 _Missed you, missed you!_  He tells me, excitedly.

Shiori steps out of the kitchen and stops in the entryway, looking like she's trying not to smile at me. "Alice, dear, why are you wearing Shuichi's scarf like that?"

I stop, touching the scarf wrapped around my head, having forgotten it was there.

"Babushka," Kurama mutters playfully in my ear as he stands beside me.

I give him a glare, untie the scarf and pull him down by his shoulder. Tossing the scarf over his head, I tie it in a knot below our chins and smile. I press my cheek against Kurama's. "Now we're an amoeba."

"Stay just like that!" Shiori exclaims and rushes back into the kitchen.

"She's getting her camera," Kurama mumbles, almost sounding like he's  _complaining_.

"Yes," I tell him.

And sure enough, Shiori comes back with a grin and her camera, snapping several pictures of us in succession. Hatanaka sticks his head around the kitchen doorway, and gives a bark of laughter before quickly retreating. Shuichi doesn't appear, so I figure that he must be at his mother's house today.

"You two look adorable!" Shiori tells us, looking us over. She gives a wistful sigh, folding an arm around her waist. "Before I know it, both of you will be gone and starting your own families. I wish you could stay little forever."

I can see this mood veering quickly into a mother's depression. "But then I wouldn't be able to reach the cups," I joke lightly, nudging Kurama and myself closer to her.

She gives a little laugh then, and holds out her arms, and Kurama and I embrace her together.

"Since we're getting older, we'll just have to try extra hard to be cute, Alice," Kurama says seriously, as we pull away, giving me a quick smile.

I curl up my hands in front of me, making puppy paws, and give a pout. "Like this?"

Shiori laughs and clicks a picture of me, and I'm happy to delight her. I look up at Kurama from my puppy pout to find a strange look on his face. His brows are pulled together, and his mouth is slightly open, and it's  _sort of_  like a what-the-heck-are-you-doing face, but not exactly. There is too much awareness in it to be surprise.

"Shuichi-kun?" I ask, face falling out of the pout. I glance at Shiori to find her with a sort of  _knowing_  smile, and I don't really get it.

"Well," Shiori says suddenly, cheerfully, "you two should get upstairs and do your homework. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so."

"Okay," I say, untying the scarf, feeling my hair cling to it.

Kurama suddenly snaps out of it and steps away from me, taking off his shoes, and stepping properly into the house. I follow him up the stairs after kicking off my own shoes, and Sitka bounces up after me, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

 _Hiei's in your room_ , Sitka informs me.

Oh, good, I haven't seen him in awhile. I smile and ruffle Sitka's coat while passing Kurama's scarf to him before he closes his bedroom door. I see his green eyes cast a curious glance at the wall that separates our bedrooms, but he doesn't say anything about Hiei's presence. The door closes as he turns his back to me, and I go to my bedroom door and swing it open.

Hiei's reclined on my bed, wearing his shoes, and  _reading my diary_.

"H-hey!" I protest, snapping the door shut after Sitka. I point a finger at him. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?" he asks, sounding as if he really isn't listening to me. He doesn't look up from the sparkly pink journal (for the record, it was a  _gift_  from Shiori when I was  _thirteen_ ), completely absorbed in my written ramblings about my life (lives).

" _Reading!"_ I demand, stamping my foot.

I hear Kurama guffaw through the wall, and really assess the noise level of my voice. Of course, I'm positive that he can hear whispering on the other side of the house while he showers. His hearing is supersonic, after all. I guess it doesn't really matter how quietly I yell at Hiei.

Hiei finally tears his eyes away from my journal and smirks. "Your writing is much more succinct than your thoughts, but your penmanship is atrocious. I can barely make out what you're trying to say. You've even written half of it in English." He turns the page. "Not like that could stop me."

I guess I'm not really surprised, but I still ask to confirm. "You can read English?"

"Demons have a knack for languages," he responds. Then he closes the book and sets it on the windowsill, propping it on the cold glass. His stoplight red eyes rove over me, observing. His stoic expression doesn't change much, but there is a softening in it that he reserves just for me. "Come here."

I cross the small room and sit beside him on the edge of the bed. Sitka plops down on the floor by my feet and I rub his belly with my socked foot. He gives a happy whine and yip.

Hiei reaches over me and touches my face. I sink into his warm palm.

"How have you been?" I ask, touching the back of his hand. "I haven't seen you since we got back to Asaka."

"Fine," he answers, seeming to look at every facet of my face, as if committing it to memory. He grasps my arms and tugs me closer to him so that I'm pressed against his warm chest. "You're cold. Have you been well?" His tone is uncertain.

"I'm all right," I explain, snuggling closer to him. "Humans aren't so fragile to get sick from a chilly day – at least I'm not, anyway. I eat a lot of vegetables."

"Eat more of them then. Everywhere I go in this godforsaken city there's a human hacking his lungs up. You've got to be on your guard," he informs me seriously.

"Mmhm," I agree, pressing my cold nose into his neck. He cringes. "I know. Can I sleep here?"

"If you insist," he replies, grudgingly.

I smile, and with Hiei's permission, I doze off in his lap, head resting against his shoulder. Sleep sort of hovers at the edge of my senses, but the doze is a comfortable one. Or at least as comfortable as sleeping on another person can be. I think Hiei closes his eyes for a bit, sort of taking a nap in his own Hiei-way, but it isn't long before he's shaking my shoulder gently.

"They want you downstairs," he says, letting me up.

Sitka's ears are perked up and he looks up at me expectantly. I sigh and slip out of Hiei's lap, getting to my feet lazily, and realize that I'm still wearing my uniform. I shrug off my blazer and open my wardrobe, hanging it up. I send a teasing glance Hiei's way and unhook my skirt, fingers pausing over the catch.

His bedroom red eyes are on me, watching with interest.

I step behind the open door of my wardrobe, out of his line of sight, and I hear him growl as I drop my skirt on the floor. I force myself not to laugh, and thankfully he can't see my wry smile. I pull on a pair of yoga pants from the bottom drawer of the wardrobe, and I toss my button-down white dress shirt over my shoulder, and pull on a slouchy t-shirt. I step out from behind the door, fully dressed, fighting a grin.

"Tease," he accuses.

I bend down and press my mouth against his, wishing we could really be alone somewhere. I would do so many things to him. I want to make him scream my name. I think he senses this, or reads it in my thoughts, because there is another low growl from his throat. It's lusty, not angry, however. His hands wrap around the backs of my thighs, and I feel them tighten, as if he wants to lift me up or move me. Sadly, he stops himself.

 

Hiei's hands trace my legs. "You'd better go down there. I'll wait."

"You just want to read my diary without me bugging you about it," I chide, smiling.

"Don't be stupid."

"Don't be predictable," I tease, pulling away from him.

" _Hah!"_  he scoffs in amusement. "You must be blind to call me predictable. But I suppose one can't expect much from your weak human eyes."

I roll said eyes, and look down at Sitka. "Are you coming with me, beast?"

He bounces up to his paws excitedly, nudging my leg toward the door with his long nose.  _Dinner!_  he says excitedly, rushing out the door as soon as I open it. He bounds down the stairs in a mass of stomping paws, sounding like a herd of elephants. I glance back at Hiei from over my shoulder, giving him a wink, and close the door behind me.

I smell Shiori's cooking from inside my room, but it's even more aromatic on the stairway. I hear steps behind me, and look back up to see Kurama coming down the stairs too. He shoots me a small smile, and drops down on the step beside me.

"Ready for dinner?" he asks politely.

"I guess," I reply, wondering if I should have been so quick to change into my nightclothes. Hatanaka is practically part of the family, and he's seen me in my pajamas before, but something about Kurama's tone makes me wish I hadn't changed out of my uniform. "Something wrong?"

He eyes my yoga pants, but doesn't say anything. I sort of get the feeling that he's actually very aware that I'm female for once. I suppose he has more of a sense of that, what with Hiei hanging out in my bedroom at all. I wonder if Kurama has ever looked at me like a woman before. Back on Hanging Neck Island, when I first arrived and changed into Kyoko's red dress, I thought he might have looked at me like that then, but now I wonder if he wasn't just teasing me.

But now, I'm almost sure he's checking out my super cute butt in my super cute yoga pants as I head down the stairs and into the kitchen. I find that I don't actually care. Kurama probably notices that I notice, and I feel his gaze shift off of me.

Really, it's strange that he hasn't seemed inspired to ogle me sooner, especially because it's become obvious that Hiei and I are fucking. I keep waiting for him to make some remark, but he's said absolutely nothing about it. Maybe he doesn't want to rock the boat so soon after our fight. I thought he would think of me more sexually after smelling Hiei all over me. His behavior is strange in that way, or maybe it's a Demon Thing that I don't understand. 

Hatanaka and Shiori are waiting for us at the table, and it's set for four. There's a bottle of sake between them, and a secret smile on their faces. I can tell they're holding hands underneath the table. I greet them and pull out a chair, and Kurama comes in and sits beside me. There is a pot of tofu nikujaga in the center of the table, with hot steam fighting against the glass lid. Shiori also has a small baguette and a salad to share between the four of us on the table.

My mouth waters. I'm hungry. "I'll serve," I offer, holding my hand out for Hatanaka's bowl.

He passes it to me with a wide grin, and I take the lid off the pot, and the steam escapes in an aromatic puff. I ladle nikujaga into everyone's bowls as Shiori breaks the baguette into fourths and passes them around. After the salad is served, I sit down, eagerly picking up my chopsticks, and we all give an "Itadakimasu!" and begin eating.

The atsuage tofu is salty and the potatoes are warm, and it's tasty and delicious. Nikujaga is typically intended to be stewed meat and potatoes, but Shiori recreated it for me, exchanging the meat for fried tofu and the bonito dashi stock for a kombu and soy sauce stock. Sometimes she adds noodles or more vegetables, but I guess she thought the salad and the baguette would do tonight. Whatever, I'm just happy that I don't have to cook my own food. My own mom would have never cooked me anything, so Shiori is pretty awesome in my book.

We devour dinner companionably, and Shiori and Hatanaka pour each other more sake, smiling secretively.

Kurama finally sets his chopsticks down and gives them a pointed smile. "So, did something happen? You both seem rather ecstatic tonight."

"Well," Shiori says, blushing. She glances at Hatanaka, who grins back. "We're getting married!"

"Oh my God, that's awesome!" I exclaim, jumping up from my seat. "Isn't that awesome, K-Shuichi-kun?" I catch myself, so excited that I almost slipped on his name. Usually, I'm very good about that.

"It's wonderful news," Kurama agrees, smiling happily at his mother. "Congratulations to you both. Have you decided on a date yet?"

"Oh, we're thinking the beginning of August would be ideal," Hatanaka says, smiling. "That way we'll have time for a honeymoon during the break. Are you two really happy? I mean, I know it's just been you and Shiori for so long, and I don't want to make anyone feel –"

"Don't be silly," Kurama interrupts, holding up a hand. "Alice and I are very pleased that Mother is going to be married again, aren't we, Alice?"

I'm too busy doing a jig to answer properly. "This is great!" I tell them, grinning. "I'll go play you something on the piano!" And then I dash off into the other room, hearing Hatanaka and Shiori laugh behind me (I think they were kind of drunk at this point), and plop myself down in front of the piano. The music flows out of my fingertips immediately; it's one of the best songs from the eighties.

" _If you're lost you can look, and you will find me, time after time..."_


	24. Mad World

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twenty-four: Mad World**

_Children waiting for the day they feel good_

_Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday_

_And I feel the way that every child should_

_Sit and listen, sit and listen_

_Went to school and I was very nervous_

_No one knew me, no one knew me_

_Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson_

_Look right through me, look right through me_

_And I find it kinda funny_

_I find it kinda sad_

_The dreams in which I'm dying_

_Are the best I've ever had_

_I find it hard to tell you_

_I find it hard to take_

_When people run in circles_

_It's a very, very mad world ... mad world_

A bug flew into my face as I left the bright convenience store. I screamed and swatted it away from me, making the other people walking on the street give me startled glances. The plastic bag crinkled in my hand as shifted my weight to cover my embarrassed face. "For fuck's sake," I muttered, trying to calm down. "It's just a bug."

I looked around for it, because it seemed pretty big, and I saw it crawling on the sidewalk with a bent wing. It was the size of my hand, and a bright acid green. "Oh, Jesus," I said with a cringe. Then I noticed something odd about it. It had a demon's energy. What did Botan call it? A Makai insect? What was it doing in the human world? Wait – wait a minute.

Wasn't the Makai insect a precursor to the opening of the kekkai barrier?

I frowned at the bug. I knew that Sensui would be moving soon, but I guess I sort of forgot about it, what with finals and entrance exam prep. I focused and flexed a tendril of viridian energy around the insect. With a small pop, it died. I would have to tell Kurama about this as soon as I got home.

Someone made a noise beside me, an interested  _hm_. I looked up and saw a vaguely familiar looking guy. He was a tall, older teenager, with dark brown hair and lavender eyes. He wore a red jacket and grey fingerless gloves. He was kinda cute, actually. His smile was touched with irony as he eyed the spot where the Makai insect was. "You can see them too, huh? Nice trick. Does that work on bigger things?" he asked, bringing those purple eyes to meet mine.

You know when you know something, but you just can't put your finger on what it is? That's how I felt. I knew I knew this guy. I felt my nose scrunch as I tried to place him in my memory. "Do I know you?" I finally asked, giving up.

He looked me over, examining me with interest. "Doubt it. Got a name?"

I hesitated, wondering if I should be honest. He gave me an uneasy feeling. I didn't want him to look me up or anything in case he was an axe murderer. "Alice," I answered after a moment. "What about you?"

"Well, since we're avoiding family names, I guess you can call me Kaname," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Do you have enemies or something?"

"Ah!" I exclaimed in recognition, and quickly clamped my hands over my mouth.  _Sniper_  gave me a funny look, and I forced myself not to back away. I brought my hands down and forced a smile. "Sorry, I just realized that I don't know you, it's just that you look like my friend's new boyfriend. She showed me a purikura the other day." I find that it's best to mix truth in with your lies. It's easier to look less guilty that way. My hand tightened around my grocery bag defensively, waiting to see if he bought it. I couldn't fight him off with my psychic abilities, but I could damn sure smack him with my bag of canned azuki beans and run like hell.

"Oh," he said blandly, "well, I guess that makes sense. So," he trailed off, eyes going back to the spot on the sidewalk, " _does_  your power work on bigger things?"

I frowned at him. "I guess," I replied vaguely, wishing Kurama or Hiei was with me. They could be much more threatening than little ol' me. "Never had much of the chance to try it out."

Kaname gave me a knowing look, like he knew I was lying. But he smiled after a moment, one corner of his mouth higher than the other. "Maybe you'll get a chance soon. I wouldn't worry too much if I had your power though, and you seem like the type of girl that can handle anything."

"Thanks," I said, hoping I could get away now. "I've got to go. Nice meeting you."

His lavender eyes followed me as I backed away and turned down the street. I decided to go in the opposite direction of my house, towards the park, and then double back to go home. He didn't seem like the stalking type, but you never really know about that sort of thing. After all, being too casual with strangers was what got me killed last time.

I made it home without feeling like I was being followed, but I was later than Shiori expected me. She met me in at the genken with a worried expression, but I only smiled and told her that the store had been really busy.

She sighed and took the bag from me, looking inside. "Oh, you bought pears, dear?"

"I saw they were on sale, and they looked all right. I thought they would make a nice snack later," I told her, wondering if she were annoyed with me. She rarely got angry, and she was a very gentle woman. Actually, I don't think I'd ever made her angry, come to think of it. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. I didn't mean to make you wait for important ingredients for dinner."

Shiori smiled. "Don't be silly, Alice-chan. There wouldn't have been much time for an elaborate meal anyway, and that's why I asked for canned beans. Thank you, sweetheart. All I have to do now is heat them up and dinner will be ready. Will you go and tell Shuichi-kun for me?"

I nodded, taking off my shoes and shrugging off my jacket. I smiled as I passed her and went up the stairs as quickly as possible. Getting to the landing, I gave a quick knock on Kurama's door and swung it open and shut it behind me in a rush.

He was reading a book on his bed, hand holding the book above his face, but he set it down and sat up as soon as he saw my expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, green eyes concerned.

"I saw a Makai insect," I told him, "it flew right in my face, and then I killed it, and then there was this weird guy there who was kind of cute, but definitely onto me or something, and he was asking me about my powers and being really, really curious, and then he gave me this weird  _"maybe you'll get a chance to use your powers on something bigger soon"_  line that was oddly foreshadowing, and naturally I lied to him about my powers because let's face it, you really can't trust anyone these days –"

"Alice, I sort of get the gist of what you're saying, but you should slow down before you begin to hyperventilate," Kurama interrupted, holding one of his hands up. He patted the space on the edge of the bed beside him, and I sat down. "Now, tell me everything again – preferably with a beginning, middle, and end."

I took a breath and told him what happened properly, omitting the fact that I already knew who Kaname was, and that he was in league with a guy trying to rip a hole in the kekkai barrier to bring about the apocalypse. Kurama listened patiently, frown growing more and more with every word out of my mouth. "Something odd is going on," I finished.

"I agree. Actually, earlier today I saw a Makai insect myself," he said, eyes hardening at a spot on the floor. "It was on the shoulder of one of the girls at school, but naturally she didn't notice it. I wondered if it was just a fluke, or a stray, but now I'm inclined to think otherwise. Something big is moving. I imagine it will make itself known soon enough, but in the meantime, be on guard."

"Right," I said firmly.

"Shuichi! Alice! Dinner!" Shiori called from downstairs.

* * *

Sunday, two days later, I woke up to a text message from Kurama, telling me to meet him at the Mushiori train station at seven in the morning. I had woken up just in time, I realized, since it was six o'clock. I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, a black Dir En Grey t-shirt, and seized a pair of black, high-heeled boots. Throwing on some makeup and a jacket, I grabbed my bag and my metro card, and hurried downstairs to the kitchen.

Shiori was there, making coffee, and she gave me a smile. "Where are you off to so early in the morning, dear?"

It was still early for me, and my brain broke. "Um, just meeting someone – Shizuru –"

Shiori chuckled. "Oh, honey, are you going on a date? You don't have to make anything up, you know. I don't mind, so long as he's a nice boy."

Hiei's face flashed in my mind, and I fought the urge to laugh. "Erm, okay. I have to hurry though..." I eyed the coffee on the stove longingly, but I didn't have time for it. Instead I found Shiori passing me a generous slice of bread and I thanked her, biting into it. "See you later," I said thickly, giving her a wave with the hand holding my boots.

"Bye, dear, have a lovely time!" she called as I left the kitchen to go to the genken. I pulled on my boots then, and dashed out the door. Later I might have to correct Shiori about my imaginary boyfriend, but I could always tell her that we had a bad time and didn't get along, so I wouldn't see him again.

I sped down the street, devouring my bread in a few bites, and headed to the train station about a mile and a half away. Mushiori was only one stop away from Asaka, but I still needed to hurry. I knew that Kurama and the others might need my help against Sensui and his lackeys, and I knew that they would be impatient to get started with their reconnaissance. I pulled out my cell phone as soon as I got to the station, and dialed Kurama's number.

"I'm on my way," I tell him when he answered, scanning my card. "Did you not come home last night?"

"No," he replied, sounding tense. "There is a lot going on, remember when we talked the other day about something big moving? Well, it's begun."

I looked up at the schedule board for a train to Mushiori. Spotting one, I said, "There's a train leaving in five minutes. I'll be there in about fifteen. Platform three is where it's stopping, so meet me there, okay?"

"We're already here," he replied. "See you soon, Alice." And then he hung up on me, and I found the train and stepped inside as the doors closed behind me.

The train wasn't very crowded, being Sunday morning, but I stood by the door and hung on to a rail as the train began moving. I watched suburban houses go by, with some patches of playing fields. I yawned behind my hand and wished I had gotten some coffee to go. At least the ride passed quickly, and I found the train slowing soon enough.

There was a ding, and a robotic  _"Thank you for riding the Greater Tokyo Metro. We have arrived in Mushiori. Please be careful while exiting the train."_

I could see Kurama and the others through the window and I waved at them as the doors opened. Hopping onto the platform, I blinked at two unfamiliar faces and Kaito Yuu. Botan embraced me and Yusuke and Kuwabara waved, and Genkai gave me a slight smile. Kurama handed me a hot cup of coffee from a nearby Starbucks, made just the way I liked it.

"There is a God," I said reverently, taking it from him with a smile. "Thank you, Kurama. All right, now tell me what's going on."

Genkai began explaining the situation, telling me about all the new psychics in Mushiori, the portal to the Makai, and how they intended to find out more about the enemy before the hole opened up. It was a quick explanation, and left me with the impression that Genkai was not dicking around and was in a major hurry to get this mystery solved. I didn't blame her. Even just in the train station I could feel a foreboding darkness in the air.

"So how long before the portal to hell opens?" I ask, sipping on my hot coffee. I winced, burning my tongue. Ow.

"Three weeks," Yusuke said, looking sort of angry.

"Oh, that's not bad then," I replied, cheerfully. "It could be tomorrow, if we were  _really_  unlucky."

"Don't even joke, Alice!" Kuwabara demanded, looking frantic. "I don't even have my powers right now!"

"What fun is the apocalypse if you can't joke about it?" I said, shooting him a teasing grin. Then I frowned. "What do you mean you don't have your powers?" I didn't remember that part at all. I felt gypped. "And where's Hiei?"

Kuwabara immediately glowered, not at me, necessarily, but in my direction. "He got hacked off because Koenma only rated him as a B-class demon or something, and my powers have been gone since the Tournament."

"Hmm," I said thoughtfully. I looked at the strangers, a guy with a really weird hairstyle that screamed 1987, and relatively normal-looking blond guy. They sized me up too.

"So, who's this girl?" the blond guy asked.

Kaito answered for me, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. "Minamino Alice, sixteen years old, adopted into the Minamino family at the age of eight. A relatively well-rounded student, who excels at history and science, and she can run a mile in five minutes. Background: a mystery. Psychic abilities: unknown. Anything to add?" he asked me.

I stared at him, feeling my mouth tug into an uncertain frown. I glanced at Kurama, but he didn't seem entirely surprised that Kaito knew so much about me. I really didn't know  _that_  he knew so much about me – I mean, I've barely said more than three sentences to the guy since I met him in the beginning of middle school. "That's creepy," I finally said, matter-of-factly.

"You forgot to mention her ferocious temper," Kurama said, giving me a teasing smile.

Kaito blinked. "Oh, that's right. Last year you fought five girls in one of the locker rooms, and won. I suppose that can be attributed to your rather legendary short fuse."

"Legendary?" I asked.

"Well, when you get in shouting matches with Tasaka every day, people tend to form opinions," Kurama said lightly.

"Did you just get me coffee so you could tease me all morning?"

The guy with the '80s hair cleared his throat. "So,  _do_  you have some sort of psychic ability, er, Alice?" His pronunciation of my name was almost perfect.

I gave him a suspicious look.

"I'm Yanagasawa," he said quickly. "Call me Yana, if you want."

"I'm Kido," the blond guy added.

"Actually," Genkai said, "aside from me, and with Kuwabara missing his powers, Alice is probably the most powerful psychic in this group."

I felt a little surprised that she even knew that I was gifted, let alone any sort of level of my abilities. I smiled a little, feeling pleased that she praised me.

"Of course, she's completely untrained," Genkai added, brown eyes roving over me doubtfully.

"But," Kurama added kindly, setting a hand on my shoulder, "she's certainly not inexperienced. Alice has many years of fighting and killing demons under her belt. She's really quite capable."

"Well, I suppose that experience and the nature of her powers are the reasons why you have never done anything with her, is that right, Kurama?" Genkai asked, or rather said, giving him a knowing look.

"Huh?" I asked, confused. Was she talking about Kurama training me or something?

"Actually, the fact is that Alice and I would not have a compatible student/teacher relationship. She has almost no respect for me," Kurama said simply, not sounding angry at all. "And it's true; the nature of her powers does deter me from teaching her, Genkai-shishou."

Genkai gave an amused  _hah_.

"So what  _can_  she do, shishou?" Kaito asked curiously.

She glanced at me. "What was it you called yourself? An exorcist?"

I nodded, turning to Kaito, Yana, and Kido. "I can purify a demon until he's powerless or dead."

"Interesting," Kaito said, eyeing Kurama.

Yusuke shifted is weight impatiently. "So, grandma, how are we gonna do this?"

Genkai looked us all over. After a moment, she said, "Botan, Kuwabara, Kaito, and Alice, you go with Kurama to investigate the epicenter of the portal. The rest of you are with me. We're going to find the ones responsible for this."

"All right," we agreed, and then we split up with nods at each other. Genkai took Yusuke, Yana, and Kido through the station, heading towards the middle of Mushiori, while Kurama and the rest of us headed in the opposite direction, toward a more suburban area outside of the station.

"So," I began eyeing the houses we passed as we walked down the street, "where is this portal anyway?"

Botan answered me. "Oh, the Reikai has pinpointed it in a vacant field about a mile away. I'm not sure what we'll come up against, however. It doesn't  _seem_  like we'll find a dangerous psychic sitting there, but you never know, I suppose."

"I guess you're right," I agreed.

Botan's hand went around my elbow and she sort of pulled me to the back of the group with her. "You'll have to tell me, Alice, has Shizuru been well? I haven't talked to her or seen her since we had our karaoke night a couple of weeks ago."

I sighed, taking a sip of my quickly cooling coffee. I was really beginning to get sick of this fucking cold weather. "She's doing better, but I think she's still sad. I hope she meets someone new, you know, to help keep her mind off things." I glanced at the back of Kuwabara's head, wondering if he could tell that Shizuru had been upset lately. Kaito was walking next to Kurama, talking to him in a low tone. "By the way, what about you, Botan? Do you have anyone you're interested in?"

She giggled. "Oh, don't be silly! I haven't got the time for that sort of thing! I'm very busy, as you know!"

Hm, I guess Koenma would be pretty disappointed to hear that. I could see them doing well together, actually. And it would be a pretty interesting story, discovering that you and your boss suddenly developed feelings for each other.

Botan pressed closer to my side and murmured in my ear, "What about you and Kurama?"

I watched Kurama's shoulders stiffen, amused. I knew that he could hear us. "Old news," I told her under my breath, "I've got someone else now."

Botan's expression was bright and interested. " _Ooohhh!_  Do tell! Who is he? What's he like?" She dropped her voice again. "Does you-know-who know?" She gave a pointed glance at Kurama.

"Yes," I answer quietly. I gave her an uncertain look. "It's Hiei."

Botan opened her mouth in shock, as though she were about to scream, and then somehow stuffed it all back inside her. She grabbed my shoulder and gave it a shake. " _Really?_ " she asked, dumbfounded. "I mean, thinking about it, yes, you two would be very good together. But, I mean, it  _is_  Hiei..."

I shrugged. "He treats me well, if you ignore insulting my intelligence in about every third sentence he says to me. He's not a bad sort, you know. I've been with way worse," I said, thinking of my lying, cheating, scumbag, son of a bitch ex.

"Well, I suppose you do challenge him, and he would be attracted to someone who does that," Botan said thoughtfully. "But you know, you don't sound too terribly excited about him. Are you sure about him?"

"I didn't say I was going to  _marry_  the guy, and anyway, I'm kind of pissed off at him for flaking out on everyone," I explained, finishing my coffee. I dropped the empty cup in a convenient trash bin along the road and looked back at Botan. Her fuchsia eyes were confused. "I'm not in love with him, if that's what you're wondering."

Her eyes saddened a little then, and she looked at Kurama's back. "I see."

"Oh my God, Botan, cheer up," I demanded, nudging her. "I told you that so you  _wouldn't_  worry about me, and now you look even more worried."

She sighed. "Well, it's just...don't you think you deserve more than that? Don't you deserve to be in love?"

I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jacket and gave her a square look. "Life isn't fair, and we don't always get what we deserve."

"Oh, Alice, you're  _so_  jaded! Honestly,  _you're_  the one who needs the most cheering up! When this case is over, what do you say we go out with the girls again, hm?" she grinned. "We could go to the amusement park this time!"

Kuwabara caught Botan's words and whipped around with a bright look. "Amusement park? I wanna go! When is this happening?"

"I think it probably would be more fun to bring the boys too," I said, glancing at Kuwabara with a smile.

"That sounds great!" Botan exclaimed. "We'll go when this case is closed!"

Kurama finally turned around and looked back at us, green eyes resting on me for a moment too long before turning to Botan. "An amusement park certainly sounds fun, but let's focus on the case, shall we? We're almost there."

"Right!" Botan and Kuwabara said together, looking ahead.

We came to a low stone wall, whitewashed, fencing in a small, unkempt playing field. I thought it might belong to one of the surrounding schools, but it was hard to tell which one. I could feel the malignant energy coming off of it in waves, hitting me like a tsunami, and saw a red haze hovering over it in the sky.

"Here," I said, stopping automatically.

Botan gave an, "Mmhm" of agreement, and we stepped through the gate and onto the grass.

Kuwabara looks around carefully and then relaxes. "This is dumb. It's just a field. Are you sure it's the center of that distortion...thing?"

"Well,  _I'm_  pretty sure," I said, giving a shudder.

Botan held her hand against her forehead like a visor, looking. "I don't see any big tunnel," she said doubtfully.

"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed, "and unless he's invisible or looks like grass, the psychic's not here either."

"No," Kurama said, explaining, green eyes narrowed in a dark expression. "The distortion zone always takes the form of a circle around its creator. Right now, we're standing on the circle's center – the psychic has to be here." He looked back at us over his shoulder. "We just have to think, if the man's not here on the surface..."

"Then obviously he must be below it," Kaito said, adjusting his glasses and looking down.

Kuwabara gave the grass a suspicious look. "Underground?"

I had the sudden feeling of being watched, and by Kurama's stiffening shoulders, I know he did too. He suddenly whipped around and dashed off, probably hearing or smelling the person who was there.

"Hey, what's up?!" Kuwabara demanded. "You see something?"

I followed close on Kurama's heels, and we went around a small storage building. Kurama stopped short, looking around with a dangerous expression on his face. His hands were held tensely at his sides, like he was ready to strike at whatever was watching us. I didn't sense a demon, so I assumed our spy was a human.

The others ran up and stopped behind us.

Kurama answered Kuwabara. "The question is, what saw us?"

Botan blinked her pink eyes. "What?"

"You mean someone was watching us?" Kaito asked. "So they already know we're looking for them..."

"They're quick," I said, closing my eyes and trying to feel out the spy. There was something at the edge of my senses, but he must have been just out of range or retreating, because I could only feel him from a second. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to give me a direction.

"You sure you're not being jumpy?" Kuwabara asked doubtfully. "I didn't notice anything."

Botan gave him a pointed look. "Well, what on earth does that prove? You've lost your spirit awareness."

"There was definitely someone," I told Kuwabara. "It felt young...male, and kind of...lost?" I thought out loud to myself. "I think whoever the mastermind is, he's recruiting vulnerable people. I don't get the feeling that he actually cares about any of them."

Kaito adjusted his glasses. "That makes sense. Genkai was right about you, Minamino Alice. You're quite strong. I couldn't even feel that we were being watched."

I felt a strange sort of annoyance come over me. "Kaito, this is going to sound kind of bitchy, but you've only been psychic for a month. I've been psychic my whole life. There is a very wide gap between you and me." Seriously, what right did he have to be surprised that I was a stronger psychic? I wish people would stop doubting and underestimating me. Now I understand more clearly why Hiei had stormed off after Koenma only rated him as a B class.

Kaito blinked, seeming to realize that he offended me somehow, but before he could say anything, Kurama interrupted.

"In any case, we should play it safe and reconvene with Yusuke's group immediately," he said, turning around and pressing his palm against the center of my back. "Botan, that briefcase is connected to the Reikai, isn't it? Let's inform Koenma." His hand dropped back to his side. There was a warning in that calming hand, telling me not to lose my temper.

"Oh, of course," she replied, quickly setting it on an eye-level crate next to the tin storage building. She popped the latch and swung it open, facing it out to Kurama. The screen was snowy for a moment, and then Koenma's baby face appeared.

"Koenma," Kurama said with a serious look on his face.

"Yes, Kurama, report," said the princeling, looking expectant and just as serious.

"The center point was barren, but I think it may be possible that they've encamped underground," Kurama informed him, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he watched Koenma's reaction.

"Hm. Very clever," was Koenma's reply, serious expression unchanging.

"In addition, Alice believes whoever is in charge has recruited predominately young and vulnerable people, and that they are mostly cannon fodder for this so-called mastermind's plan," Kurama said, sending a glance my way. "It almost sounds like some sort of religious extremist's cause, doesn't it?"

I could see Koenma tense on the screen. "Why does she think it's something like that?"

"Well," Kurama said, seeming like he was pushing something just a bit further, "it appears we're being followed, and she got a reading off the spy."

"What?" Koenma said, surprised.

Kurama's expression didn't shift, but I got the feeling that he had just figured something out. "I'm not sure, but I'm rejoining the teams to be safe."

"Understood," Koenma said, and then Botan closed the suitcase.

"Let's go find the others," Kurama said, turning to leave the field and go back to the road.

We followed.

* * *

"This is weird," I commented, staring in front of us.

We stopped in front of the hospital, after tracing Yusuke's spirit gun. The normally bustling building was oddly quiet, and I didn't see anyone moving around inside. I remembered something about one of Sensui's psychics being a doctor, and I assumed that he had something to do with the silence.

"All right, let's go!" Kuwabara announced, not seeming to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Kurama stopped him, holding his arm out in front of Kuwabara. "Wait."

"What? I'm ready..." Kuwabara said, looking confused.

Kurama turned to face the hospital, a hard, calculating expression twisting his features. His normally warm green eyes were cold. "Just listen. It's too quiet."

Botan seemed just as confused as Kuwabara. "Well...I'll give you that..."

"Quiet is perfect," Kuwabara insisted. "It's a hospital, not a racetrack!"

Kaito looked at the building thoughtfully. "It's the cause without the effect."

"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked, annoyed. I knew he was just impatient and itching to get inside and kick some ass, and he was frustrated because he was blind, so to speak.

"We saw Yusuke's spirit gun blast through a window in the middle of the day, yet there are no doctors, nurses, or guards taking a look at it?" Kaito said.

Kuwabara yanked him up from the ground by his collar, which probably shouldn't have been that easy, since Kaito was quite tall and rather chubby. "So what?!" Kuwabara demanded loudly, choking Kaito. He dropped him after a moment though.

" _So_ ," Kurama explained, "curiosity is one of man's most predictable forces. If people don't come to see, it's because they are not able. We assume the worst for everyone in that hospital – they're either detained, hurt, or dead, and that is why we are not being followed."

"Well that does make sense," Botan agreed. "They wouldn't walk into their own trap."

"It's too dangerous for us all – especially with Kuwabara's condition," Kurama said, thinking aloud for our benefit.

Kuwabara's face turned upset. "Jeez... _condition_  makes me sound like I'm rabid."

"You four stay back and watch for developments," Kurama ordered, eyeing the hospital. "I'll go take a look around." Then he flew across the ground toward the quiet building, faster than I could ever dream of being.

" _Hey!_  That's not a team decision!" Kuwabara shouted after him angrily.

"Please be careful," Botan said to herself.

I watched Kurama with rapt fascination as his rose whip appeared in his hand and latched its end onto the chain-link fence on the roof. He scaled the building then, like a superhero, and disappeared at the top.

"Ergh! That guy!" Kuwabara complained, kicking the ground. "Doesn't he get that we're a team?!"

I sighed, glancing at Kuwabara. "Look, while it's true that we're a team, right now the one who is the most capable and has the most experience among us is Kurama. That's what makes him the taichou. Let's just watch his back, Kuwabara, okay?"

Kuwabara huffed, folding his arms, irritated. "This sucks."

"Oh, stop complaining, would you?"

"Oh, what, are you second in command or something, Alice? Because you're the strongest psychic on this team right now?" he said, almost sneering but not quite. Honestly, I knew that he was just angry because his powers were gone, but shit. My patience was wearing thin.

"Kuwabara, you're starting to piss me off."

"Well good!" He yelled, waving an arm through the air. "At least I won't be the only one angry now! Look at all of you, all smug because you got your powers and  _I_  don't –  _ow!_ "

Kuwabara hopped around, holding his shin where I kicked him hard. He gave pained noises and winced at me. There are only two ways to stop one of Kuwabara's tantrums – hit him until he shuts up, or be Yukina and talk to him like you're very disappointed in him. Since I'm not the love of his life, I kicked him in the shin.

"That was  _mean!_ " he complained, finally letting his leg go. But it looked like he forgot his anger at least.

"Alice, you're quite the tyrant, aren't you?" Kaito said, adjusting his glasses in amusement. "And you wondered about your so-called legendary temper."

"My boots are still on my feet, Kaito," I told him, giving him a warning look.

"And they  _hurt_ ," Kuwabara advised him.

Botan sighed. "Oh, honestly, you three, can't you see that our team is at stake? Kurama's off on a solo mission, and we're just standing here bickering at each other. It's not even like we're on a mission at all! It's completely unprofessional!"

I twitched at the feeling of being watched again. "Shh!" I said, closing my eyes, feeling my shoulders tense. Where were they this time? I felt them out with my senses, but they felt further away then last time, and it was a different sort of presence too. However, it was vaguely familiar...wait...if I felt like I was being watched from a distance, then the most likely culprit would be Sniper, wouldn't it? Yes, definitely him. I could see the red of his jacket in my mind, the flash of his dark violet eyes, a sardonic smile. I felt an intention to attack, but something was holding him back. Maybe Sensui didn't think it was a good time yet.

I opened my eyes to find everyone looking at me intently. I didn't answer their looks right away, but instead gave the hospital a once over with a critical gaze. It was probably safer than staying out in the open, even if Kurama wouldn't like it.

Suddenly, a man went sailing out of a first story window, skidding in the dirt like a ragdoll under the force of his momentum. The window wasn't far from a door, so I waved the others and ran for it. "Look's like Yusuke's found the psychic – let's get in there and out of the open! We're being watched again!"

" _What?"_  Kuwabara demanded, quickly following me. Kaito and Botan were slower, but still on our heels. We cleared the courtyard in under a half-minute and burst through the hospital doors to find ourselves in a long corridor. I felt the flash of the Doctor's territory, but it quickly died away with him.

"The territory disappeared," Kaito remarked. "Yusuke must have knocked the psychic out."

We ran up the corridor, toward the broken window, and found Yusuke and Yana looking pleased. There was another guy there too, wearing a red sweatshirt, but I didn't know him. Yana was in a nurse's uniform with a huge, bleeding slice across his stomach, which confused the hell out of Botan.

"Hey! Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled, waving.

"Should I even ask why Yana is in a nurse's outfit?" Botan said.

Yusuke laughed, setting his hands on his hips. "Hah, you know, playing doctor, and then one thing led to another."

Genkai came up beside him and looked us over. "Botan, he could use your healing powers."

"Right!" Botan agreed, and immediately saw to Yana, who gave her a grateful smile.

Puu squeaked as he flew above Yusuke's head, and Kurama, Keiko, and Shizuru appeared in the corridor with us.

"Well," Kurama said, "this certainly is a reunion."

Kuwabara noticed his sister and set his hands on his hips. "Hey, sis, what are you doing here? You sick?"

"Yeah, bro, sick of tracking  _you_  down," she retorted, giving him an annoyed look. "What kind of trouble are you in?"

"Well, uh, that's a pretty long story actually you know. Tunnels and stuff," Kuwabara answered vaguely.

Keiko popped her head around Shizuru, who had mostly kept the smaller girl hidden behind her height. Yusuke nearly crapped himself.

"Keiko?" he asked, dumbfounded. He knocked Puu, who was flying in his face, on the head. "Damn it, Puu, you're like the get-into-danger tour guide!"

Keiko caught Yusuke's spirit beast. "Don't you blame this on him Yusuke. We only came because we were worried about you."

We stood in the hallway for a bit, telling each other what happened. I learned Kido had his spine cut by the Doctor, and we told them about being watched and followed. I let them know what I sensed outside of the hospital, and informed Genkai about my feelings on the type of people we were dealing with.

Then I could hear sirens heading toward the hospital at top speed. We all tensed went to the door we came through, seeing lights flashing in the distance.

Genkai looked back at us. "We'd better move it. This is a crime scene we don't want to be part of."

Kaito stopped. "I'll stay here and make sure Kido receives good treatment."

"Yeah, well, hope he can actually walk again," Yusuke said, and then sped off and the rest of us quickly followed. We dashed out of sight from the hospital at exactly the same time the police stopped in front of it.

After we escaped, we stopped at the train station and Yana waved us onto the train to take us back to Asaka. Genkai told him to watch his back, and she'd be in contact soon. We boarded the rather crowded train, and squished ourselves together. Thankfully, it wasn't summer, so it wasn't overly warm or anything. Although, I did spend most of the ride with Keiko's elbow digging into my stomach. Kurama was standing behind me, so I couldn't move out of the way without squishing uncomfortably against him.

"What time is it?" I asked, feeling annoyed.

Botan glanced at her watch. "Oh! It's five o'clock already! We were out all day – no wonder I'm hungry!"

Yeah, that explained the emptiness in my stomach. After all, the only thing I had to eat today was a piece of bread and a cup of coffee. I wondered what Shiori was making for dinner tonight. Whatever it was though, I hoped it would be ready by the time we got home. She usually had dinner by about five-thirty, so maybe our timing would be good after all.

The train slowed, and we got off at the station and split up with everyone with a wave. Yusuke left with Keiko, hands shoved in his pockets, intending to walk her home. Botan took off for the Reikai almost immediately on her oar, and Kuwabara and Shizuru headed home too, leaving in same direction as Yusuke and Keiko. However, I knew that they would have to turn down a different street later. And Genkai just disappeared.

Kurama and I walked home side by side, and I knew that he was thinking by his calculative silence. I looped my arm through his, drawing him out of his thoughts, and gave him a slight smile.

"We only know so much, you know. We don't need a brain like yours breaking," I teased.

Kurama sighed. "I'm just going over what we can expect from the enemy."

"Cheap shots, cruelty, and desperation," I answered instinctively, automatically. "I'm serious, whoever the brains behind this is probably some sort of fanatic having an existential crisis and he's got his cult members brainwashed and drinking Kool-aid. I mean, look at the Doctor – he was the trap for Yusuke for a reason. This mastermind  _wanted_  Yusuke to kill him, and I bet it won't be the last time we may be forced to kill a human on this case."

"Yes," Kurama agreed knowingly, "and that's what worries me. It truly seems that whoever this mastermind is, he hates humans very much, and he wants to bring out humanity's darkest side to prove a point. Whoever this is believes that humans are inherently evil, and  _that's_  why Kamiya was the trap for Yusuke."

"Well," I said, "we already know that he'll end the world to save us all, so I guess it can't get much worse." I passed a wooden gate and knocked on it.

Kurama blinked and cracked a smile at my hand.

"Better safe than sorry," I explained.

* * *

Kurama walked me to school the next morning and then left almost immediately. He told me to let everyone know that he wasn't feeling well, and went home with a stomachache. In actuality, he told me, he was going to the Reikai to talk to Koenma and get a little more information out of him. Kurama had suspicions that Koenma wasn't telling us everything, and I felt a little sorry for the princeling. Kurama's interrogation tactics were ranged from pleasant conversation, to downright terrifying, to incredibly painful. Changed or not, I still thought he was quite a sadist.

He asked me not to tell anyone his suspicions yet. He wanted to confront Koenma first.

"All right," I agreed, standing at the school's gate with him. He was wearing his uniform for appearance's sake, and it was perfectly crisp and ironed. He should have at least pretended to look a little queasy, but I guess no one would question the great Minamino Shuichi, who had never been sick a day in his life – a fact that Shiori was always boasting about.

"Also," he added, narrowing his green eyes at me, "don't you dare leave this school alone. You said it yourself – our enemy is a band of desperate misfits – don't go tempting fate."

"Oh, for God's sake, would you just leave already?" I complained. "Fine, I know. I won't leave this school without Kaito, and if something happens, I'll hide under my desk and pretend I'm invisible. Happy?"

"Hardly," he retorted, "but it'll do.  _If_  something happens,  _do_  find a better hiding place than under your desk, please. Or if you have the opportunity, take the chance and run to Sarayashiki. Yusuke can certainly keep you safe."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine," I agreed more irritably than I felt. Kurama's mother-henning  _did_  annoy me, but I knew he meant well. I just really liked to give him a hard time in retaliation. And he knew it.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm leaving now. Stay out of trouble, and  _I mean it_." He turned and walked away, heading back the way we came. He tossed a glance back at me when he was halfway down the street, and made a motion for me to get inside the school  _now_ , with a rather threatening look in his eyes. I obeyed, and turned and dashed up the steps. Kaito was there, blinking at me.

"Shuichi isn't with you?" he asked, confused.

"Not today," I answered, glancing over my shoulder. Kurama was out of sight now, probably already halfway to the Reikai. I sighed in relief. He got annoyed with me occasionally, yes, but I very rarely saw  _that_  look in his eyes directed toward me. That look that brought hard, icy gold into his green eyes, a look that said,  _Youko is here, and getting angry_. It made my heart skip a beat in fear. Part of me knew Kurama would never hurt me, but another part of me knew that there was more than one way to hurt someone, and Youko Kurama knew them all. While annoying him was a hobby of mine, even I knew when to stop.

Kaito and I walked inside together, exchanging our shoes, and headed up to the third years' section on the top floor. Our classes were beside each other and we stopped in the hallway, between doors.

"About yesterday," he began, adjusting his glasses. "I think I made you angry with something I said, and I wanted to apologize to you. I honestly didn't mean to make you sound incompetent or weak. You were right – there really is no comparison between a person who's been psychic a month, and one who's been psychic her whole life."

"Well, what I said was pretty harsh and cold," I told him, feeling a little bad. "I'm sorry too. I have the tendency to be...not nice. Especially around new people."

"Well, you strike me as a hard person, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. I see it in older people all the time, but it can only mean that you're wise. Living makes people see all sorts of things, and perhaps you've just had your fair share of suffering already," Kaito said, kindly.

"Yeah," I agreed, and then the bell rang. "Kurama wanted us to walk home together, so I'll see you later."

Kaito nodded and we went into our classrooms.

School was a drag that day, and I wanted nothing more than for it to be over. I barely listened to any lectures, hardly took any notes, half-heartedly did my worksheets, and grudgingly wrote down my homework assignments. There was too much going on in the universe for stupid homework. Like, we all could be out right now, saving the world – but no, I gotta be stuck in this motherfucker here, doing some goddamned algebra.

I plopped my face on my desk and watched the clock tick closer to lunch. I contemplated screaming. The day wasn't even half over yet.

"Minamino, pick your head up and pay attention," Tanaka-sensei said, rapping her hand on the corner of my desk. "It isn't nap time."

I heard Tasaka cackle somewhere behind me, as I picked up my head and offered my math teacher a sweet smile. "Sorry, sensei, I got a little dizzy."

Her mouth pulled into an uncertain frown, as she looked me over critically. "I know you said Minamino-kun wasn't feeling well...are you sure you're not sick too? It's okay if you want to go to the infirmary."

I needed to stay close to Kaito, so I shook my head. "I'll be all right." And I pulled my math book closer to me, and she nodded and turned back to the chalkboard, continuing her lecture. The page blurred as I drifted off into my thoughts.

Eventually, we were going to face another attack from Sensui's team. Eventually, I was going to run into Hagiri Kaname again. I wondered how he would react. When I met him on the street, he didn't seem very intent on attacking me then, but yesterday, outside of the hospital, he seemed more willing. Chomping at the bit, more like. I wondered if he really knew what he was involved with. I wondered why. He didn't seem like the type of guy to be unpopular. Maybe he was disenchanted with the world around him?

I knew we were going to meet Mitarai soon too. He was an interesting character. He was a real sensitive kid, easy pickings for bullies, unconfident, and rather weak-willed – at least at first. It seemed like he started to grow a pair as he hung around the group, from what I remember about the series. I had a feeling that I wouldn't like him very much, if only because he was too emotional.

My thoughts turned to Hiei. I hadn't seen him in days again. I knew he was the type of man to come and go as he pleased, but even so, I sort of missed him. Some nights he would climb through my window and sleep beside me in my bed, keeping me warm in the late winter nights. He hadn't done that in days though. I think he was avoiding Kurama, and any chance for Kurama to manipulate him into helping to save the world. Kurama would know the instant that Hiei came within a mile of the house, which is why he avoided it, probably.

I sighed. 

The bell rang for lunch.

 _Finally_ , three and a half hours later, I was free. I met Kaito in the hallway and we walked downstairs together, and of course Tasaka had something to say about that.

"Ooh! Minamino, are you dating that ugly glasses-wearing nerd?" he sneered, as he dropped down beside me on the stairway. I really didn't understand his obsession with attempting to bully me. He knew I was his crush's friend, and a smart guy would be trying to get on my good side so that I could talk him up to Kitajima. However, like Kurama, she wasn't in school today either. I don't think she was sick though, actually, it seemed like she mentioned something about visiting a grandparent in Sapporo over the weekend. Probably it had just turned into a longer visit than expected.

"Are you fucking five?" I asked Tasaka, giving him an incredulous look.

There was a flash of anger in his eyes, and his hand went around my wrist with bruising force as we stopped on a landing. "Shuichi isn't here to defend you today," he said darkly.

The other students had mostly gone downstairs by now and left, leaving Kaito, Tasaka, and me on the landing alone. Glad for that, because I didn't really need to be caught fighting again, I used his hold on my wrist against him. I dragged him toward me, forcing him to bend over, and drove my bent knee into his stomach.

"Gak!" he coughed, letting me go immediately.

"Let's go, Kaito," I said, moving toward the steps, but Tasaka recovered faster than I expected him to. Fingers bit into my shoulders as he dragged me back and shoved me into a wall. He got into my face, but I was focused on Kaito standing behind him. He was frozen, wide-eyed, but he looked like he was coming back to himself. "Don't," I told him, ignoring Tasaka. "Not your territory – it'll complicate things."

"But –"

"Oh my God, Kaito, are you a genius or not? Get a teacher, you nimrod!"

Kaito blinked, tossed me a worried look, but ran up the stairs in search of some authority figure.

"You know, I really can't stand you," Tasaka snapped, hands tightening around my arms. I just stared at him, knowing that the moment I moved to strike him, some teacher would see me and call me out for fighting – defending myself or not. "You think you're so smart, so  _above_  everyone, and you walk around with your nose stuck in the air like you're a goddamned princess. Well, I got news for you, bitch, you ain't nothin' without that stupid Shuichi around you."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, finally understanding. "I see now why you try and push me around now – you can't get away with bullying Shuichi-kun, so you take out all your feelings on the person closest to him. Your hate for him outweighs your love for Kitajima, doesn't it? See, I knew you weren't good for her. You can't even treat her friends properly because of some guy you hate." I gave him a cold smile. "How pathetic."

He dropped his hold on me, stepping back, stormy expression on his face. His hand flew before I could stop it or duck out of the way, slapping me with enough force to turn my head. Pain blossomed in my cheek, but I forced any reaction to it down, feeling a disturbing laugh bubble up instead, spilling out of my mouth.

Tasaka looked at me, infuriated, and I could see the telltale violent red in his aura. "How dare you laugh at me! You should be scared of me, I just hit you!"

"Oh, is that what you want?" I said through my laughter, turning my face towards him. "A little brat like you can never scare me. Come back in thirty years, why don't you?"

"I'll do it! I'll absolutely terrify you!" he shouted, grabbing me up again, shaking me hard. I could only giggle at him some more, because his attempts at making me fear him were pitiable at best.

I heard a loud gasp above us. "Tasaka Kenta! Let Minamino-chan go  _this instant!_ " I heard the familiar sound of Tanaka-sensei's voice shout.

Tasaka let me go immediately and stepped away as Tanaka-sensei stormed down the stairway. Kaito followed her, worriedly looking me over.

"How  _dare_  you manhandle a girl like that!  _Detention!_ Get upstairs to the staff room immediately, or I'll have you expelled faster than you can say  _ruined for life._ "

He dashed upstairs, not even sparing a moment to shoot an angry glance at Kaito, and disappeared out of sight. Tanaka-sensei noticed my reddened cheek straightaway, and her scowl deepened. "Oh, I'll give him hell for this. Are you okay, Minamino-chan?"

I took a breath and nodded. "He doesn't usually bother me when Shuichi-kun is around, but since he's out today, I guess Tasaka thought he had a chance to bully me."

She shook her head. "I can't believe what I walked in on. You'd better stick with Minamino-kun as much as possible until graduation. I'll let the other staff know about what happened, so they can keep an eye out too. Go on home and put some ice on your cheek. I hope it doesn't bruise...girls shouldn't have marks on their faces."

"Thank you, sensei," I said, holding my stinging cheek and giving a slight smile.

"Kaito-kun, be sure to walk her home, okay?" she said, turning to face him with a firm look.

"Of course," he answered promptly, "let's go, Alice." He took my elbow and led me down the stairs with a nod to Tanaka-sensei. We changed our shoes and left the school quickly, and found Yusuke and Botan at the end of the path, looking like they were waiting for us.

"Hey, you two! Where's Kurama?" Yusuke asked, glancing at us. His brown eyes zeroed in on my cheek immediately. "What happened to you? Looks like someone hit you in the face."

"Someone did," Kaito answered as Yusuke leaned closer, tipping my chin up to get a better look at me.

He frowned and set his hand on my cheek carefully, and his brown eyes narrowed. "Either a guy or a girl with really big hands hit you. So tell me, you got an abusive boyfriend in there or something?"

"No, just some stupid boy who takes his hatred of Kurama out on me. He's a twat waffle," I explained. "Don't bother going in after him. He got caught, thanks to Kaito, and I'll set him to rights later. He's not even worth your time."

"Well, I can guarantee that Kurama will be pissed once he sees your face," Yusuke said, dropping his hand.

Botan stepped forward, looking at me critically with her pink eyes. "I think I can heal some of the swelling, if you want," she offered, raising her hand. I could sense her energy swirling around. I nodded and she placed her hand on the side of my face, and a cool feeling soothed the ache. "It's still a little red, but it'll clear up in an hour or so," she said, letting her hand fall back to her side.

"All right, let's go get Yana," Yusuke said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I already have him meeting me at the train station," Kaito said. "He should be on his way to Asaka right now. His school is really close to the station, so it's likely he went right over."

"Oh, yeah," Yusuke said as we began walking, "any news on Kido?"

"He's stable," Kaito replied. "They don't know if he'll walk again or not. He hasn't woken up yet."

"Hey Botan, maybe you can use some of your fancy healing powers on Kido, huh?" Yusuke suggested, glancing at her.

She frowned. "Well, I could try, but I think Genkai would be able to do more good than me."

"Yeah, maybe, she did bring that doctor back to life."

We went to the station and picked up Yana, who smiled at all of us, and went back to Yusuke's apartment. His mom was gone, but Genkai and Keiko were inside waiting for us. They had helped themselves to some tea and were patiently drinking it together.

We all sat down, and Botan quickly explained to everyone about the miscalculation since Reikai did a depth analysis of the tunnel. She informed us that we had a week at the most, and told us about being able to get to it underground by the way of Demon's Door Cave.

"Nice name," Kaito said.

"Where's Kuwabara?" I asked, looking around.

"Ah, he went to some dumb concert," Yusuke answered, plopping down at the sitting table with Keiko and Genkai. "Oh, yeah, where's Kurama?"

"He's missing," Kaito answered vaguely, tossing a glance at me.

" _What?_ What do you mean he's  _missing?_ " Yusuke demanded, jumping to his feet in rage.

"Well, he wasn't at school today," Kaito said.

I opened my mouth to explain, but Yusuke wanted to rage instead. "Hiei, then Kuwabara, and  _now Kurama?_  You can't count on anybody! Am I just gonna have to do this all  _alone?!_ "

Genkai threw the half-full teapot at his head. "Shut up."

"Ack!"

I cleared my throat. "Kurama went to talk to Koenma in the Reikai. I'm sure he'll be back soon, so don't worry."

"Oh," Yusuke said, sitting back down, rubbing his forehead. "What'd he want to talk about?"

"He didn't say," I lied.

"Hmm," Genkai said. I think she knew I was lying but didn't care enough to call me out on it. "Well, now that we know where these psychics are hiding, we'll be able to mount an attack. But it must be carefully planned."

"I've heard of Demon's Door," Yana said thoughtfully. "It's like an urban legend."

Kaito contributed. "It's said that scorned lovers go there to die, which shows our enemies like irony. If we go unprepared, it'll be suicide as well."

"Hey!" Yusuke snapped, "I don't need a lesson from you too, rookie." He turned away to leave, angrily muttering, "Stupid freckles."

"Hold on, Yusuke," Keiko said, watching his retreating back with trepidation.

He tensed. " _Damn it!_  Everyone just leave me alone! I'm going to the arcade!" He slammed the door behind him as he left into the rainy night.

Keiko sighed, holding Puu, and sat back down. "I don't know what's gotten into him. He shouldn't be going out alone, should he?"

Genkai glanced at her. "Give him space. If he's that dumb, he deserves to die." She sighed. "But I suspect he's worried about Kuwabara."

"I wouldn't take it personally, Keiko," I said, even though I felt a bit annoyed at Yusuke's outburst for her. He really should've treated the girl he loved more gently. "He was just blowing off steam."

Keiko sighed and held Puu closer to her, pressing her cheek against his head.

A few hours later, after Yusuke came back from the arcade and went back out with Botan to find Kuwabara, they came back dragging a soaking pile of Kuwabara and all his friends into the apartment. Mitarai was with them, too. All were unconscious and injured, forcing Genkai and Botan to call upon their healing powers and the rest of us to bandage everyone up as best we could. Mitarai never woke up, apparently having expended all of his spirit energy and suffering from a stomach wound, but Kuwabara and all of his friends came around for a moment or two.

Yusuke demanded to know why Kuwabara had saved Mitarai, and Kuwabara's reply was more or less that he just needed saving, and then he passed out again.

The other guys, Kuwabara's friends, were completely freaked out, and really stunned by Mitarai's attack on them. Kurama had appeared by then, luckily, and was able to calm them down with some dreamflower pollen after he got the story out of them. He made them forget about what happened, and sent them home.

Kurama, Keiko, Kaito, Yana, and I went home next. Kaito and Yana headed to the train station to head back to Mushiori, and Kurama and I took Keiko home on the way to our house. The rain had mostly died down on our way to Keiko's, but she lent us an umbrella, tossing a wink at me.

"Keiko's adorable," I said, opening the umbrella and holding it up for us. The umbrella was definitely only meant for one, but I didn't mind sharing. It was drizzling after all. "Yusuke snapped at her earlier today, and she didn't really deserve it."

"I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," Kurama said, glancing down at me. "Here, I'll hold the umbrella. You're not holding it high enough."

I passed it to him as thunder rumbled in the distance. "Is it going to rain again?"

He inhaled, using his nose to determine his answer. "We have time to make it home before it does again. It'll clear up by the morning. By the way, I think we might as well skip school tomorrow. I would like to interrogate Mitarai, and since things are beginning to escalate, I'm not comfortable having you away from me for so long."

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my mouth twist as I forced my surprise down. If we were anyone else that might as well have been a love confession, but because we were Kurama and Alice, I knew better. "Of course," was all I said, sounding surprisingly neutral.

* * *

Kurama and I went to back to Yusuke's apartment after Shiori had left for work. He was wearing his uniform, even though he was ditching, but I didn't even bother with mine. Shiori had left early and seen Kurama in his ironed, fuchsia horror show, and that was enough. I put on a pair of acid green skinny jeans, a white graphic tee, and a slouchy light jacket.

"You're shorter than usual," Yusuke said when he opened his door and saw me.

I stuck out my foot to show him my flat boots. "I may have to run for my life today. I can't be Charlie's Angels-ing shit all the time; I'll get tendonitis."

Yusuke laughed and let me and Kurama in. "This guy, Seaman, Grandma says he's about to wake up. Something about how his energy is fluctuating or something."

"So, Genkai explained it to you, and you didn't really pay attention, right?" Kurama teased, following Yusuke down the hall.

"You're the brains, Kurama, not me," he retorted, opening his bedroom door. Genkai, Shizuru, Botan, and Keiko were all in there, waiting. Yusuke grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and turned it around, sitting backwards on it so he was facing Mitarai. I noticed Kuwabara lying in another corner of the room, propped up on pillows and bandaged up.

Mitarai was still asleep as far as I could see, but his aura was starting to fizzle a bit, a sign that he was close to waking. Then suddenly, his eyes flew open and he sat up too fast for his stomach wound, and winced.

"Welcome back," Yusuke said, a hard look in his brown eyes.

"You're Yusuke," Mitarai murmured, blinking at him.

"That's right, Goldie, and that's my bed you're sleeping in, thanks to the human freight train there," Yusuke pointed at Kuwabara, "dragging you in so we could stitch you back up."

Mitarai glanced at the sleeping Kuwabara, a strange look in his blue eyes.

Shizuru smiled around her cigarette. "Bro finally did something useful without his girl being around," she said proudly.

"His companions, your victims," Kurama said, with a hard glint in his eyes, "have survived as well. They informed us all of the encounter with you, and then we erased their memories of last night so they wouldn't be burdened by the darker truths."

"Like another human fighting for the wrong side," Yusuke added.

Mitarai looked down at his hands clutching Yusuke's duvet. He was tense, probably scared. I didn't blame him – Yusuke and Kurama must have looked very intimidating. The white t-shirt Yusuke wore was actually a bit tight, showing off his wiry, hard muscles, and the look in his eyes was very take-no-prisoners. Meanwhile, Kurama towered over Mitarai, drawing up to his full height of five-eleven, and he wasn't hiding Youko at all.

"Kuwabara saved your life after you tried to kill him – you think your psychic pals would have done that?" Yusuke asked. "You owe him big...so start talking."

"Yeah! Guh...clean..." Kuwabara grumbled, eyes closed, startling Mitarai. "Gotta clean my socks..."

Keiko blinked, staring at him and sent a questioning glance at Shizuru. "He what?"

"Sleep talking," she answered, exhaling smoke from a cigarette. "Sleep walking without the bruises."

We looked at Mitarai expectantly, and then he started to crack. "You don't understand," he said with a flash of anger, "you haven't seen what I have. We should all die."

"Clarify 'all'," Kurama requested. "Do you mean your fellow psychics?"

"No, I mean all of us.  _Humans_ ," he answered, darkly. He turned his face to look back at Kurama, blue eyes wide. "You'd all think so too if you saw the video tape!"

"What video?" asked Botan.

"Yeah, and say it with more feeling," Yusuke jeered. I was on the same wavelength as him. This kid had too many emotions.

Mitarai ignored him, withdrawing into himself. "It's the video they labeled  _Chapter Black_ ," he responded.

Kurama was shocked. "You've seen it?"

"Yes, I have. Every single minute of it."

" _Chapter Black_...amazing," Kurama muttered, incredulously.

Yusuke glanced at him. "I'm guessing you've heard of it."

"It's legendary," Kurama answered. "Hiei's been wanting to get his hands on that tape for years."

"That good of a flick, huh?"

Kurama's green eyes turned to Yusuke. "It is a piece of intelligence, supposedly kept in the deepest bowels of Spirit World's records department." His eyes darkened. "Over its millennia of existence, the human race has committed various heinous crimes against others, and their own. This videotape is a compilation. It documents the most unspeakable acts of all – it is said to run thousands of hours." Kurama continued, still not quite over his shock. "I knew well of the tape, but never imagined it could be of importance to this case."

"So many horrifying things marching across that giant screen," Mitarai said, like he was reliving watching the tape. "You don't know how we really are! What we're capable of... I saw it all. If you saw it, you'd think differently too. You'd understand we're doomed. And, so...we have to –"

Yusuke's chair crashed into the wall as he kicked it away. "Have to  _what_ , Sir  _Judge?_  Have to get us all eaten the hell up by some bloodthirsty monster?!"

Mitarai didn't cower. "That's right! You're defensive because you don't know the truth! Humanity only seems good to you because you were born in a peaceful time! But war's our nature – it'll always come back," he explained, trembling. "Have you ever seen hundreds of frightened people standing in line waiting to be killed in a camp? Have you seen horsemen raid and destroy a village,  _dancing_  on the bodies of their victims,  _crushing_  them as they celebrate their victory – merrily singing happy songs?!  _Have you ever seen a gigantic bomb wipe away millions who had never picked up a weapon?!_ " he yelled. "A civil war where a mother is hacked down in front of her child, or a child in front of his mom...and the soldier, breaking up a family who loves each other, leading them into a fire. And his eyes  _enjoying_  the torture..."

Behind me, Keiko started crying, and Shizuru led her out of the room. "Come on, kid. I think you've passed your sympathy limit."

My thoughts on what Mitarai was describing was yes, it was sad, but it had already happened. I have watched loads of documentaries encompassing a wide range of history, and found them all rather enjoyable, actually. I loved learning about history, even the dark parts. But, what Mitarai was describing was more of an unending horror movie, and watching something like that for so long was really a form of torture in itself. I felt a little bad for him.

"And you think you're better then those people on the tape?" Yusuke accused, eyes flashing angrily.

"Well, I know I'm not! Neither are you! No human can be," he answered.

"What about Kuwabara? He saved you, right?" Yusuke said, relaxing his fists. "And you know last night when he came to for a minute, I asked him, 'Stupid, why the hell'd you save that jerk'? And he said, ' _Because_ , Urameshi, in his eyes, he was crying for help'."

Mitarai's eyes were wide and he was silent.

"I thought it was a pretty stupid thing to say at the time, but now I see how scared you are, and I kinda follow. A big oaf like Kuwabara – he's got that bully look you must  _hate_ , but he cared about you," Yusuke said. "Bet you weren't expecting that."

Mitarai burst into tears. Big, sobbing, ugly, crying-like-a-little-baby tears. "Every night I see them, the victims on that tape! I've always seen myself like them, but in my nightmares,  _I'm_  the one holding the weapons."

I had to leave the room at that point. It's not that I was empathetic to the point where I started taking on his sadness like Keiko did, but in actuality, the crying bothered me. I hate when people cry – especially somewhat grown up people like Mitarai. It makes me angry. Partly because I want to protect people from whatever is hurting them, but mostly because I can't stand seeing weakness and fear in others. I never understood weakness.

I guess Kaito was right. I am a hard woman.

I went down the hallway and through the living room, sliding open the glass door and stepping out onto the balcony. I closed the door behind me and watched the people on the street go by, propping my elbow on the railing.

The door slid open behind me a few moments later, and Yusuke and Kurama came out onto the balcony.

"Hey," Yusuke said, looking at me closely. "You okay? You're not gonna cry too, are you?" They came and stood on either side of me, and Kurama gave me a critical look.

"No," I answered, glancing up at them before turning back to look at a girl on the street I had been watching. She had this really fantastic black wide-brimmed hat that looked like it came out of the 1920s. "I wondered though, while he was watching the tape, if he ever thought to himself, 'This is just TV'. Isn't it just basically a long, long,  _long_  documentary slash horror film? Yes, these things happened, but it's not happening anymore. Those people are not in pain anymore. They're dead. No one can help them." I leaned back and looked at the sky. "I don't get it. I can't even sympathize with him. If you hate everything so much, why not try to make the world a better place instead of trying to destroy it?"

"I think you're looking at this too clinically, Alice," Kurama said, giving me a wry smile. "You have the ability to compartmentalize your emotions, unlike Seaman. In my many years on this earth, I have noticed that being controlled by their emotions is humanity's most tragic flaw. Most people haven't lived what you've...somewhat...lived through, and thus, you cannot share a majority of humanity's perspective on things."

"Hm, I guess you're right."

"Well, I can feel bad for the poor kid. I mean, I see stuff on the stupid six o'clock news all the time that pisses me off about people," Yusuke said, frowning. "And that video has our all time worsts. That's gotta be a pretty rough experience."

"I would imagine so," Kurama agreed. "It is said that it will turn an average man against his own kind within the first five minutes of viewing."

"Hell, that's cheery," said Yusuke. "You may turn me just talking about it."

Kurama gave a small chuckle. "Don't worry, Yusuke. The capacity for evil is but one ingredient in the human soul."

"Yeah, I hope so," he said.

"Still," Kurama continued, "the greatest concern in my mind is that the  _Chapter Black_  video is in the enemy's possession. It clearly has the ability to turn anybody to their side. The footage must be provocative. I confess there was even a time when I wanted to see it."

Yusuke gave him a glower, and Kurama held up a placating hand and a smile.

"Was,  _was_ ," he said with a laugh. "Anyway, a more pressing matter – you never asked me where I went yesterday."

I kept silent, since I lied last night about not knowing anything.

"Oh, yeah, Alice said you went to talk to Koenma," Yusuke said, blinking. "Why'd you go all the way to Spirit World? You could have just used my briefcase thing, you know."

"I needed to confront him face to face," Kurama said, expression growing hard. "He could never put my suspicions to rest, and speaking with Seaman has now made me certain – Koenma knows the exact identity of our foe."

"He  _what?!"_

"I've planned a formal meeting to..." Kurama turned and saw only me, pointing in the direction Yusuke had gone. He was sitting in front of his briefcase communication mirror, back tense with rage.

"EARTH TO TODDLER-BITCH! You'd better speak now before I forever put that pacifier  _ten inches down your throat!_ "

Botan and Genkai came out into the living room at Yusuke outburst, curious, and we all stood behind Yusuke to see Koenma sitting at his desk. He looked completely unperturbed at Yusuke's threats or shouting.

"Ah, Yusuke, I'm glad to see you've regained some enthusiasm," Koenma said serenely. "It's good in small doses."

"Kurama says you knew who was behind this from the  _very start!_   _Why the hell haven't you told me?_ " Yusuke demanded in a slightly quieter scream. I wondered how his neighbors put up with him.

Koenma's brow furrowed. "I wasn't positive until the video tape. Only one man has a copy of that – I just didn't want to believe it."

"Cut to the meat, pal!"

Koenma looked down at his folded hands seriously. "As you wish, Yusuke. The name of the mastermind...Sensui Shinobu. He was the spirit detective of Earth before you came along."

Everyone tensed in shock.

Koenma turned in his chair, and pulled out a collapsible pointer as a picture of a young teenager, about Yusuke's age, appeared on a screen above his head. "This is a picture of him from high school – when he began working for me as spirit detective."

"That face," Yusuke said in recognition, looking at the dark hair, the tanned skin, and the birthmark over his third eye chakra center. "The one who confronted us in the fairway – but he looks a lot older now."

"He was gifted with an incredibly strong sense of right and wrong – perhaps too strong," Koenma said. "It was about ten years ago that he simply disappeared. In the weeks leading up to that, I remember he always asked me the same question: are we even worth protecting? Then the  _Chapter Black_  video vanished from the vault, and so did he. We tried to track him down but it was no use. I'd hoped he'd gone into seclusion, content never to be bothered...but why would he resurface now?" Koenma asked himself. "You have to be careful, Yusuke, he's incredibly lethal! I'm leaving for the Ningenkai now." And the mirror turned black and empty.

"A detective," Yusuke muttered thoughtfully. He stood up. "Well, I'm sure as hell not gonna let some idiot just like me be the end of the world!" he shouted.

* * *

Koenma came over a little while later, in his teenage form, and he, Genkai, Kurama, the now awakened Kuwabara, and Yusuke sat around the table. Koenma told them about Sensui, and I hovered at the edge of the conversation, half-listening to them, and half-paying attention to Shizuru changing Mitarai's bandages. Then the girls realized that we would need more bandages, and Keiko offered to go to the drugstore.

She saw me hovering between rooms, bored. "Do you want to come with me and Puu, Alice?"

"Sure," I said, glad to have something to do. I kind of wanted some candy anyway.

We told the boys where we were going, put on our shoes, and headed out the door. The drugstore wasn't that far away – only a couple of blocks, and we got there pretty quickly. Keiko and I scanned the shelves, not in any particular hurry, looking at various cheap nail polishes and eyeshadow palettes.

"Oh, I really like this color," Keiko said, holding up a matte pastel green nail polish.

"That's really cute," I agreed. "You know that pink cardigan you wore when we did karaoke a couple weeks ago? I think that color would go well with it."

"Oooh, you're right!" she exclaimed. "I'm buying this. It's definitely happening." She put it in the basket I held over my arm that had all the bandages we could ever need. Her expression turned somber as her eyes landed on them. "Hey, Alice...what do you think of Mitarai? Do you think he's a bad guy?"

"I think he's weak," I answered bluntly. "I think he has a lot to make up for. But as for being bad...no, I don't think so." I gave her a steady look. "I know you feel really sorry for him, but you can't take on his problems for him. He'll never grow stronger if you do that."

"Right," she nodded, resigned. "Do you...do you think Yusuke will be okay?" she asked, worried. "We know who the guy behind everything is now, and I feel like Yusuke is going to have to fight him, like he did Toguro. Do you think he can take the this one?"

I knew Keiko knew that I (supposedly) didn't know anything about Sensui. She was just looking for reassurance.

"I have the utmost confidence in Yusuke," I replied, picking up a package of a chewy candy I liked. It was basically a Twizzlers knockoff, but it was just as tasty. "I don't see Yusuke losing to him."

She nodded again, and inhaled. Smile morphing into a grin, she hugged Puu tightly. "Let's head back," she said.

We checked out and walked back. I ate half the package of candy, and Keiko refused when I offered her some, saying she didn't like that kind. Well, not everyone likes cherry licorice, I guess.

"Oh," Keiko said, stopping.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Koenma, and Genkai were standing in the middle of the street, looking tense and dangerous. I wondered what they were doing, but Keiko ran off ahead of me, before I could stop her. I dashed after her and we halted in between the side of a building, and the group of our friends, in plain sight of Sensui.

I noticed Kaname right away, but he didn't look surprised to see me. "Alice," he greeted.

Everyone jumped at my name on his tongue. Kurama's eyes were narrowed dangerously, Genkai made a strange raspy noise in her throat, Kuwabara and Koenma nearly fell over, and Yusuke grew vividly angry.

"What the hell, Alice? You know this creep?" he demanded, swinging his brown glare at me. "Keiko, get back. Against the wall."

Keiko obeyed, knowing that she walked into something that she shouldn't have, clutching Puu. She gave me a worried glance.

"I met him on the street a few days ago," I answered, moving closer to Kuwabara, who was flanking the group. "He saw me use my powers against a Makai insect, and told me that I might get a chance to use my powers on something bigger soon." I shot him an icy smile. "I see what you meant now."

"This was the man you ran into the other day, Alice? This is the one you told me about? Sniper?" Kurama questioned.

Kaname's lavender eyes went between me and Kurama with a bored sort of interest.

"Yes," I answered, not missing the way Sensui looked at me with an unreadable expression, and then just as easily dismissed me. "Naturally, he never told me what his powers were, but –"

"Oh, believe me, Alice," Kuwabara said, angrily. "We got an idea."

"As for Sensui," Genkai said, "that's still a mystery. You'd better get back there with Keiko to be safe, kid."

"Yes, ma'am," I agreed willingly. Kurama shot me a slightly amused look, knowing that if he told me to get back I would fight him. Keiko grasped my wrist when I stood next to her, moving over so that I could squeeze between her and the street against the wall. I could feel her worry in her touch, but I gave her a reassuring smile. "You've been facing a lot of danger lately, haven't you, Keiko?"

"Yeah...did Shizuru tell you about the hospital yesterday?"

I nodded. "You're like a magnet for danger," I joked.

Keiko peeked around me. "Yusuke's doing something..."

I peered around the building we were standing against, and saw Yusuke and Sensui running down the street together. Then he suddenly launched himself at Sensui and swung a right hook at the older man's face. But Sensui, with years of experience, brushed aside Yusuke's punch, and swung one of his long Jack Skellington legs into Yusuke's head.

Keiko gasped as Yusuke was sent flying backwards, but he caught himself like a fucking boss, sneakers skidding on the street as his momentum slowed. Sensui had knocked him all the way to the end of the street, and nearly into an intersection. I noticed that Kaname had disappeared. Yusuke gave a cocky smirk and ran at Sensui again.

I'm not sure what the older man did exactly, but Yusuke went flying into a pole this time and landed face-first into the sidewalk. The others ran toward him to check on him, but they couldn't get too close, and they ended up in my line of sight. I did manage to see Yusuke hop to his feet though, like Sensui didn't hurt him at all. Keiko saw it too and gave a relieved sigh.

I saw blue movement in my peripheral vision and looked up to see Botan standing on the balcony of Yusuke's apartment. She looked down, apparently trying to get the attention of the group, but then saw that they had moved too far away to see her. "Hey!" she called, trying to get their attention, waving her arm.

She dropped behind the wall of the balcony all of the sudden, and at first I wondered if she had just tripped, but then I heard the clinking of breaking class. Kaname must have been firing at her, I realized, and my heart leapt into my mouth. I pulled away from Keiko just a bit, wandering away from the protection of the wall, trying to see inside of the apartment from the street below. I saw that she had pressed herself against a wall inside of the bedroom, out of Kaname's range.

"Alice!" Keiko hissed, waving me back to her. She grasped my wrist again when I stepped back behind the wall. "It's dangerous!"

"I just wanted to check on Botan," I said. "Sniper was shooting at her."

Keiko turned pale, but then she blinked. "I didn't hear a gun."

"No, I think it's his psychic powers – like telekinesis, basically," I told her thoughtfully, taking my eyes off the standoff and pressing my back against the wall. "Yana told me Sniper nailed a guy in the head with a pencil eraser and sent him to the hospital. I was just worried, but they're out of his range, so he can't hit them."

Keiko's hand tightened around my arm nervously. I looked around again, but this time they had moved too far away for me to see them anymore. There was a house with a wide wall blocking my view. I stood back in place and sighed.

Then the world exploded.

The loud  _BOOM_  rang through my body, and I found myself trying to shut it out of my ears, urgently, feeling as if I didn't whatever just happened would consume me. I could feel Keiko's body knock into mine as we stumbled, eyes shut against the blinding light that came with the bright explosion. Remnants of psychic energy fizzled around me, belonging to someone I couldn't identify, someone powerful – my guess was Sensui.

The world stilled after a few moments of panic-induced shaking, and Keiko and I clutched at each other, squishing Puu between us. We squinted, eyes adjusting, and saw Yusuke's apartment up in black, billowing smoke.

I didn't think, I just acted – I tore away from Keiko and raced to the steps that would lead up. Keiko was hot on my heels, calling for me to slow down, but I didn't listen to her.

I spotted Shizuru coming down the open stairwell, clutching her shoulder and wincing. She was covered in dust from the building.

"Shizuru! Shizuru, are you all right?" Keiko asked, stopping beside me.

"I-I'm okay," she replied, giving a slight smile. "But unfortunately, I can't say the same for my kid brother, who once again, has gotten himself in some serious danger. Those freaks want to kidnap him, which isn't such a bad deal for me, but they're gonna use him to open the plastic wrap to hell, so you might want to tell Yusuke to keep him out of sight." She turned to me and gave a tilt of her chin that meant she wanted me to go with Keiko.

I glared at her.

She glared back. "It's dangerous, so Alice should go with you, Keiko."

"Okay," Keiko answered, giving me an expectant look.

"I'll be there in a minute," Shizuru reassured us.

I wanted to glare at her some more, or point out her bleeding arm, but that would have made Keiko worry, and we didn't have time for that. Kuwabara was a little more important at the moment. I gave a defeated sigh and threw her an uncertain glance over my shoulder as we ran off.

Shizuru had looked like she was about to fall over.

Keiko gave a frustrated noise as we sprinted down the street. "I don't even know where they went! I just know that whatever they're going to be doing will be really obvious, and they'll probably attract crowds. You're kind of psychic, right, Alice? Can you sense anyone or something?"

"There are too many people around," I told her. "We'll just have to listen for the sound of yelling, breaking stuff, and bright flashy explosions."

"Not helping!" she complained, sending her brown gaze every which way. "Wait! I see something!" She turned right, cutting across a courtyard between several tall office buildings. "Look, Alice! Glass!"

I saw it immediately. Big chunks of paned glass from the parking garage across the courtyard glinted in the sunlight. I saw the misshapen man-sized opening, and wondered who went through the window.

In the distance, I heard the roaring of a motorcycle and the screams of civilians. "This way," I said, darting towards the sound of mayhem. Keiko quickly followed, and we came around the corner of one of the buildings to see Kurama's vibrant redhead standing above us on a skywalk. There was a crowd surrounding him, but someone moved and I could see that he was facing off with Kaname, who was straddling his motorcycle. His hands were held out, as if he were about to sniper something at Kurama.

Keiko ran ahead of me, up the steps of the skywalk.

"Gah! Keiko, wait!" I yelled, darting up the steps after her.

"Kurama!" she shouted, reaching the platform. "It's Kuwabara! We have to find Yusuke and warn –"

"Stay back!" Kurama ordered, tossing a glance at us.

I grabbed Keiko's arm to pull her back down the steps, but it was too late, Kaname launched a marble at her head. I reached my arm out instinctively, trying to protect her face, but Puu wriggled out of her grasp and caught the flying marble in his forehead – protecting both of us from injury.

Kaname revved his motorcycle and swung it around, narrowly missing the lash of Kurama's rose whip. I'm not sure exactly how he jumped the railing of the skywalk, because there wasn't a ramp or anything (telekinesis?), but the next thing I knew Kaname was soaring through the air.

"You asshole!" I yelled after him, grasping the railing and leaning over it. I watched him land perfectly on the street, nearly causing three car accidents, and race off. I was furious.

Kurama crouched next to Keiko, who was holding Puu and making sure he was okay. "Keiko, are you injured?"

"No," she answered quickly, "but we absolutely have to get to Kuwabara before they do!"

"Why?" he asked.

I approached them, bending over and rubbing Puu's belly. "Apparently Kuwabara's new power is breaking through barriers, which is why they need him to open the one between Human and Demon World."

"I see," Kurama said. "In that case, we need to get to Yusuke and Kuwabara right away. Come on, let's hurry!"

Keiko picked herself up and we quickly followed Kurama across the skywalk, down the steps and down and around another parking garage. Kurama paused for a moment on the sidewalk, looking around, probably trying to scent Yusuke and Kuwabara out or pick up their spirit energy.

I heard the squeal of tires about two yards away from us, as a green truck whipped around the corner of the parking garage. I noticed Kuwabara tied up on the bed immediately, and Sensui standing straight up on the bed as if he couldn't be concerned about bad driving.

"Kuwabara!" I yelled.

"Oh, no! We're too late!" Keiko exclaimed.

Kurama's eyes narrowed in calculation.

"LOOK OUT BELOOOW!" Yusuke screamed, dropping from the sky and into the middle of the street. He picked up his right hand, forming that familiar stance. "You're car's about to be impounded! SPIRIT GUN!"

And then he shot of a humongous blast of blazing blue spirit energy, headed straight for Kuwabara and Sensui's truck.

" _Gyaaahhh!_ Oh crap, I forgot about  _Kuwabara!_ " he panicked, eyes huge.

"Yusuke,  _you idiot_!" I shouted angrily at him, grabbing his shoulder and shaking it roughly.

"Really Yusuke! How could you shoot a blast like that without thinking it would kill everyone on board,  _including him!_ " Kurama demanded, looking anxiously at the truck and its impending doom.

Yusuke made a strangled noise deep in his throat and clutched his head. "I was mad!" 

I saw the truck swerve, as if the driver was trying to avoid the blast, but it was too big. Kuwabara flailed on the truck, struggling against his bonds, and I saw something appear in Sensui's hand. It was a purple sphere of energy, and then he kicked it toward us.

All of the sudden, Yusuke spirit gun blast blew up, popping like hot air balloon. Yusuke's energy whooshed outward, sizzling against my skin, leaving an obnoxiously bright light in my eyeballs. Sensui picked his arm up in a wave as the truck sped away.

"On the bright side, at least Kuwabara survived," Kurama said in a resigned tone.

Yusuke looked livid. He whirled around, seeing a bike rack and went to it. "Yeah!  _And_ they got  _away!_ " He began examining the bikes, looking for the one least locked up.

"Yusuke!" Keiko yelled as Yusuke found a bike and began yanking on it. "What are you doing? That's not even yours!"

He pulled an orange bicycle free, lifting it above his head. "It is now!" He set it down and straddled it, giving Keiko a serious look. "Keiko, you know I can't let them hurt Kuwabara! Tch – stupid bike lock," he muttered, bending down to pull it loose. I crept closer, examining the bike. "Now  _don't_  tell me not to save him! It's what he would do!"

While Keiko was giving him a wide doe-eyed look, I noticed spokes sticking out of the back wheel, and there was a flat wire rack over it too, where someone could attach a large basket if they wanted. I tossed a glance at Kurama, but he wasn't watching me. I moved closer and mounted the bike behind Yusuke, standing on the spokes and grabbing his shoulders.

He jumped, tossing a weird look back at me, seeing me sitting on the wheel behind him. "What the – Alice, what the hell are you doing?"

I gave him a bright smile. "I'm going with you! Somebody needs to make sure you don't do anymore dumb shit."

"No frickin' way!"

"Alice, get down from there," Kurama commanded, giving me a dark look – his Youko look, but I ignored it.

"Let's go, Yusuke," I told him, giving his shoulder a shake. "They're getting away."

At that, he realized he really needed to hurry, and cursed at me. His legs pumped the pedals and he picked himself up from the seat. We shot down the street, leaving Keiko and Kurama behind, zooming past moving cars and pedestrians. I changed my grip from the awkward reach of Yusuke's shoulders to the underside of the bike seat. Even with me on the bike, Yusuke still managed to go really fast.

"You're really annoying, you know that?" he called back to me, swerving to miss an oncoming car. "I ain't got time to lug your fat ass around!"

I cackled at him. "Then this is good training, isn't it?"

He gave an annoyed growl.

I looked around him, leaning slightly, and saw the chaos Sensui's chauffeur left behind. There were at least seven separate car accidents – one car had t-boned another, one head-on collision, one had flipped and skidded into another vehicle, another car had veered off the street and crashed into the railing that kept the sidewalk and street separate – these were only the ones I could see around Yusuke. There were people gawking, screaming, and yelling at others for help. I heard the sirens of ambulances in the distance already.

"HEY YOU STUPID RUBBER NECKERS! GET OUTTA THE WAY!" Yusuke roared, dodging around the accidents. People scurried to the sidewalk at the sight of us.

We came to the end of the street to an intersection, and I saw that a delivery truck had rear-ended a car and exploded, engulfing both vehicles in flames, before Yusuke wrenched the bike right and put the line of accidents at our backs.

"This is really serious," I couldn't help saying.

" _You think?"_  Yusuke spat.

I rolled my eyes at his back, clutching the seat tighter. I could catch glimpses of the green truck ahead of us now, but it was still too far away. They were leading us out of Asaka though, toward a more rural area between here and Mushiori. I thought about why they were letting us follow them as we finally left the city, and as we made our way up a narrow mountain road. A guy in a red BMW was ahead of us, probably going the speed limit or a little over it. I watched the truck swerve around the car, pulling ahead, even though the car had sped up.

Yusuke passed the BMW soon after, and I turned and flashed a smile at the startled couple inside. We were probably going about forty-five miles an hour at this point, and we were creeping closer to the truck. Kuwabara yelled something at us, but I didn't catch it.

I heard a motorcycle behind me, and finally realized why they were letting us follow them.

_Because it was a fucking trap, of course._

Yusuke gave a yell as he peddled harder, and I almost felt bad for jumping on...but I knew he could handle the extra burden. A guy like Yusuke was unstoppable and incredibly stubborn when he put his mind to it. We started going downhill and quickly closed the gap between the truck and bicycle, pulling alongside the bed.

"WHAT YOU COULDN'T FIND A LITTLE GIRL'S SCOOTER?" Kuwabara yelled at Yusuke as he pulled up,

"I DON'T KNOW, YOU COULDN'T GO A WEEK WITHOUT GETTING SNAGGED BY THE FORCES OF EVIL?" Yusuke shot back. I cracked up as he pulled ahead to the cab, taking a breath. "Consider this your first and only chance to get out of this alive, now pull this thing over, or I'm gonna run your asses off the road!" he shouted into the cab.

For the first time, I noticed that there was a little boy driving the truck.

This was madness.

Behind us, the sound of the motorcycle got louder, and I risked a look back and glanced over my shoulder. Kaname was behind us, gaining speed. His lavender eyes met mine, and I gave him a hard scowl. I turned back to Yusuke. "Sniper's behind us!"

"Damn iiiitttt," Yusuke growled.

He suddenly reached and grabbed my wrist as the bike  _shattered_. I felt the wheel wobble underneath me dangerously before disappearing, and then I was soaring through the air, and over the railing of the road. It took me a second to realize that Yusuke had literally  _thrown_  me off the disintegrating bicycle, and that Kaname had shot it apart with his powers.

I had enough sense to twist in the air to sort of land on the balls of my feet, and tuck and roll down the grassy hill Yusuke had thrown me toward. I rolled to a stop on my back, breathing heavily, as the sky spun dizzily in my eyes.

I was going to kill Hagiri Kaname.

* * *


	25. Zombie

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twenty-five: Zombie**

* * *

_Another mother's breakin'_

_Heart is taking over,_

_When the violence causes silence,_

_We must be mistaken,_

_It's the same old theme since 1916,_

_In your head, in your head they're still fighting,_

_With their tanks and their bombs,_

_And their bombs and their guns,_

_In your head, in your head, they are dying_ _…_

_In your head, in your head,_

_Zombie, zombie, zombie,_

_Hey, hey, hey, what's in your head?_

_Zombie, zombie, zombie,_

_Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, oh, oh,_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, oh, ya, ya-a_ _…_

\- The Cranberries

* * *

After the world stopped spinning, I sat up slowly, taking note of any pain that I had. My ankles were a little sore, but since I just went flying in the air off a bike going forty miles an hour, it was a miracle they weren't broken. My wrist was a little sore too. I must have landed on it wrong at one point during my tumble down the hill. I looked around, but Kaname and Yusuke were nowhere to be seen. I sat about fifty yards from the road in the grass, surrounded by trees. It was quiet, and I didn't know where I was. Maybe if I got to higher ground I would see Yusuke.

I climbed to my feet carefully, making sure nothing was broken. I looked down at myself, but apart from a few cuts and a reddened print where Yusuke had grabbed me, I was completely unharmed. Inwardly, I thanked Yusuke for his quick thinking, and outwardly I started looking for somewhere to survey the area. There was a plateau in the not too far distance. If I went there, maybe I'd find my friend.

I worked my way towards the plateau, staying close to the road, but not on it. I was glad that I didn't wear heels for once. I didn't think that I would have made it if I had. The grass wasn't very high, I noticed. I wondered if this was someone's property, or the city just kept it trimmed. After a few yards, I went from a walk to an easy lope, feeling the strength return to my ankles.

Then I felt the flare of Yusuke's energy and went straight into a flat-out run. It was coming in the direction I was heading, but maybe slightly southwest. I wondered if he were fighting Kaname.

"IF HE'D JUST SHOW HIS PRETTY-BOY FACE, I'D BASH IT IN FOR HIM," Yusuke's voice yelled. I realized that he was probably,  _definitely_  mixing it up with Kaname, and I should probably stay out of sight. I crept closer though, cutting through a small section of forest and spotting Yusuke in a clearing. He was shirtless for some reason, and his torso was covered with four bulls eyes. They looked like tattoos against his tanned skin. I slunk behind a tree and watched thoughtfully. I figured it I was watching him, Kaname definitely was, and I should stay away from Yusuke to stay out of Kaname's sight.

In fact, the best place to probably be right now was where Kaname least expected someone to be – behind him. I looked up at the plateau with a new eye, seeing it as a good vantage point for not only a lost directionless loser, but also a sniper with targets.

I grinned and went back into the forest, trying to be as quiet as possible. I looped around Yusuke in a wide arc, glad that there wasn't a ton of underbrush here, and when I got far enough away I started running. I jumped over fallen limbs, climbed rocky hills, and startled more than one small animal. It was actually really fun, but I'd probably enjoy it more if I didn't have to worry about getting caught by Kaname.

Finally, I reached a steep hill that led up to the flat plateau. I started climbing, carefully, picking my way through brush and branches. In the distance, I heard the rumble of a diesel engine and Yusuke yelling in panic and anger, and I hurried faster up the hill. Kaname  _must_  be up there. Even if I didn't take him by surprise like I hoped, I would still distract him long enough for Yusuke to do something. It sounded like he was being chased by an eighteen wheeler – I could hear the unsettling sound of trees crashing in the forest, and could even see their tops sway dangerously as I got higher up the hill. What the hell was going on?

I could see the end of the hill in sight, and I slowed a little, careful to be quieter. I climbed to the top, feeling the wind catch my hair, and was not disappointed to see the back of Kaname's red jacket. The plateau was bigger than I thought, with craggy rocks and scruffy, wind-beaten trees. He was standing on an outcrop; arm up, as he looked through a pair of military grade binoculars.

"It's always so much more exciting when they run," he said to himself. He sighed, and I crept closer. His weight shifted and he reached into the back of his jeans and pulled out a silver handgun, possibly a .45, from his waistband. He pulled out a magazine from his back pocket, and loaded the gun.

My heart was literally in my throat as I watched him stick his arm out, aiming at what looked like  _a fuel truck_  down below. I saw flashes of Yusuke running from it between the trees and realized that my friend's life was in my hands.

I ran up to Kaname's back and dug my hands into his jacket, intending to swing him around or knock him over or  _something_ , but before I could do any of that, the gun went off in his hand.

I froze and heard a distant explosion of the fuel truck blowing up, but I could barely distinguish it from a roaring in my ears. My hands were still fisting into his jacket, and I felt him shift as he turned to look down at me over his shoulder.

"You," he said, slightly surprised. I could feel his lavender gaze on my face. "Shouldn't you be in a hospital?" His tone was curious, unthreatened, and marginally amused.

Suddenly, the gun was in my face, and time stood still for just a moment. The silver barrel glinted in the setting sun, casting an orange glow on it. I could smell Kaname, still in my hands – laundry detergent, his cologne of peppery Burberry, the tangy smell of gun cleaner, and mint. My hands were trembling, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. A long ago memory hit me, a post-traumatic stress response, of a murderer crouching over my terrified twenty-two year old self, pointing a .9 millimeter in my face. A strangled cry left my throat.

"Why?" I asked, helplessly. "Why him? Why me? Why all of this?" I felt my eyes burn as I tried to hold back my tears and failed.

Kaname didn't answer me. Maybe he didn't want to, or maybe he didn't have an answer - all he did was look at me with a touch of pity. Then he opened his mouth. "No name-calling?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "No fighting? I didn't realize you were so weak. I thought you were a girl who could handle anything, but maybe I was wrong. I thought you might have been different from everyone else on this rotting rock."

"Don't compare me to someone like you, you murderer. I've had enough of you," I snarled at him.

He smirked. "Prove it."

The gun pressed into my cheek, and his hand clamped onto my shoulder, squeezing my skin through my t-shirt. I met his lavender eyes with a glare, and wrapped my hand around the wrist that held the gun, pushing his sleeve up. He gave me a curious look, but then I wrenched his arm back, twisting the gun away from me, and sank my teeth into the inside of his wrist.

I felt his tendons tighten against my mouth, and tasted copper as I broke his skin. I bit harder, deeper into his arm. Kaname gave a guttural cry of pain, and shoved at me with his free hand, breaking my mouth's hold on him. I still had his wrist though, and I yanked at his arm with all of my strength, and drove my leg into his ribs. He coughed, but it didn't weaken him. It made him angry, however, and I found myself swung around and flying into the dirt.

Oddly, instead of approaching me to finish me off, he froze. He was staring at something behind me, wide-eyed, and I cautiously turned my head to look.

I gasped. "Hiei!"

His red eyes slid to me, examining me, and I noticed he had Yusuke by the scruff of his neck. I gave a sigh of relief, and Hiei's eyes narrowed on my mouth. His red gaze went back to Kaname, and I wiped my mouth with the back of my arm, cleaning Kaname's blood off of me.

"Who are you?" Kaname asked, still stunned.

Hiei only stared at him with a look of dark loathing.

Yusuke looked up, blinking blearily. He must have blacked out when the truck exploded. "Hiei?" he asked drowsily.

Hiei dropped his hold on Yusuke and took a step towards Kaname. "Don't get sentimental, Detective."

Kaname held the gun up at Hiei's face as he stepped closer and closer to him. I could see the blood running freely down his right arm where I bit him. I had an idea that it would probably scar. "I have no quarrel with you, stranger," Kaname said. "But I also don't mind killing anyone who stands in our way."

Hiei ignored him, moving closer to the gun pointed at him.

"Last warning!" Kaname said, and I could actually see a bit of fear in those lavender eyes. He didn't actually want to kill Hiei, and maybe he didn't even really intend to shoot me. Maybe he wasn't as far gone as I thought. Maybe Sensui hadn't gotten every part of Hagiri Kaname after all.

Hiei continued walking towards him in that slow, deliberate way of his, and I saw Kaname's hand tighten around the gun.

He fired, but Hiei wasn't there anymore. Kaname kept shooting, firing at the flashes of Hiei he saw, firing round after round until –

Until Hiei was suddenly in front of him, driving the tip of his sword into Kaname's chest.

"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled.

"What? Now I'm not even allowed to kill the bad humans?" he demanded. "Hn. It's a few inches from his heart, it that's what you're worried about."

Kaname's arm went around Hiei's neck, holding him there, and his right arm lifted the gun again, pointing it at Yusuke.

"What's the point?" Yusuke asked, eyes blazing.

"No one can stop our justified cause," Kaname replied, breathing hard. He was acting so dedicated, but there was something faint in his eyes, like he just didn't believe in it after all.

Hiei ripped his sword out and Kaname fell to the ground, defeated. Red eyes slid over to me again, and Hiei approached me as I got to my feet. He let me wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck.

"Hiei, y-you saved me…" Yusuke realized. There was a sort of awe in his voice.

"I was worried about the trees," Hiei replied flatly, pulling away from me. A breeze soared over the plateau, carrying a strange metallic tang over the air. Hiei straightened and his expression seemed to soften slightly. "This wind coming in reminds me of home. It's comforting and it soothes me. It tastes like freshly spilled blood and the rotting flesh of decaying corpses." His expression changed as he looked into the distance behind me. "Look at it, the gate to the Makai will be opening soon."

I turned to look and saw where Mushiori sat beyond a few craggy hills. There was a dark, heavy aura about it that crackled in warning. It reminded me of the City of Ghosts and Apparitions, except only ten times worse. "We should probably hurry," I said, glancing at Yusuke. His eyes were hard.

"Maybe I'll return home."

I turned to Hiei in surprise. It was softly said, almost wistful-sounding, and I sort of regretted looking at him immediately. He saw me and gave me an unreadable look.

 _I understand if you do go back_ , I thought at him, pushing hair away from my face.  _You're a demon in the human world. You don't really belong here, I guess._

He made a sound in his chest somewhere between amused and thoughtful.  _You won't belong here for much longer either_ , he told me telepathically.

Yusuke suddenly gave a loud curse and punched a hole in the ground. "DAMN IT! I beat Toguro, and after that I assumed that everything else would just be a big old piece of cake. And then some rogue spirit detective has to go and open up the  _friggin' gates of hell!_  Gurrghh! And to top it all off, Kuwabara has to get himself kidnapped!" Yusuke stood and started walking down the plateau, weaving with exhaustion.

"You're in no shape to be playing the hero," Hiei remarked, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Well if I don't, who will?" Yusuke demanded, whipping around to glare at Hiei. "Not  _you_ , remember? This is  _our_  world – not yours?" He indicated to himself and me. "See ya," he snapped, "I have to go save the world again."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Hiei responded, suddenly behind Yusuke with his sword up in the air, ready to strike.

"Hiei!" I admonished.

He ignored me and swung the katana. Yusuke dodged and Hiei followed faster than I could track, and the tip of the steel blade was suddenly at Yusuke's neck.

Yusuke froze.

"For the second time today I hold your life in my hands," Hiei observed. "Somehow I doubt this Sensui will be as merciful as I." He trailed off with a dark chuckle, as if imagining such a thing to happen.

"Kuwabara needs me," Yusuke said, giving Hiei scowl.

"Kuwabara was ill-prepared for them, and look what happened to him," Hiei retorted.

Yusuke suddenly whipped to his feet, towering over Hiei. "Shut. Up."

Hiei's red eyes narrowed. "Do I have to kill you to keep you from being foolish?"

This was definitely brewing into a fight. "Stop it, you two," I told them, fixing them both with a glare. "If you haven't noticed, we  _don't_  have time for this."

"You just might, Hiei," Yusuke snapped, ignoring me.

I could feel Hiei's youki spiking. There was an acid yellow glow around him as his energy manifested itself, and his cloak floated off his shoulders. "It's been too long since our last fight," he told Yusuke, ignoring me also.

Yusuke's blue reiki began to manifest as well, outlining him in a glow. He grit his teeth and drew his fist back at the same time as Hiei.

"You ready?" Hiei asked.

"Bring it,  _bitch_ ," Yusuke retorted as they ran at each other, fists pulled back preparing to strike.

"Hel- _lo_ , am I invisible?" I yelled at them.

Their arms crossed and their fists smashed into each other's faces, and I realized that they were so wrapped up in themselves, they would never hear a word I said.

Stupid boys.

They flew at each other, swinging their energy-enhanced fists, and I turned away from them, scratching my head. They grunted and growled at each other like animals, and I bent over Kaname's unconscious body to check to see if he was still alive. His wrist was still bleeding freely, and I felt my jaw ache as my eyes fell on his wounded arm. I probably should've felt bad for hurting him, but I just couldn't seem to muster up the regret.

There was a bulge in his jacket pocket, and I reached in and pulled out a pack of gum and his keys.

Inspiration suddenly struck me, and I grinned, easily pulling off the right key and pulling out a piece of mint-flavored gum. Kaname's blood still lingered in my mouth, even though I'd spit out all I could. I just really hoped he didn't have any blood borne illnesses, and I popped the gum in my mouth and returned the pack and key ring to his pocket.

I pulled my handkerchief out of my back pocket and tied it around Kaname's bleeding wrist. As I was tying it, I realized it had gone very quiet between Hiei and Yusuke.

I looked up to see Hiei with his cloak back on, and Yusuke standing behind Hiei with his hands on his hips. Yusuke suddenly tilted his head back and laughed.

I guessed the fight went well.

"What are you laughing about?" Hiei demanded, turning to look over his shoulder at him.

"You're so full of crap!" Yusuke giggled. " _I don't care_ ," he mocked Hiei, approaching him. "You've been rooting for me, you did all this to help me survive! I told everyone you'd come back to rescue us when we needed you the most, you big softie – or maybe I should say  _little_  softie!" he cackled again.

Hiei looked like he wanted to kill him.

"Really," Yusuke continued, sobering. "Thank you. I was needing a kick in the ass."

"Hn," Hiei acknowledged, moving past Yusuke, tossing a glance at him.

"Hey, where do you think you're going? Now that your little secret's out…well now there's no reason…look what I'm trying to say is that I could really use your help on this one," Yusuke admitted, giving Hiei an expectant look. "Kuwabara could really use your help on this one."

"But I  _hate_  Kuwabara," Hiei replied bluntly. "You do them  _one_ favor and they think you're their best friend.  _This_ is why I couldn't care less if their entire species was swallowed up," he continued to himself. He walked away, heading down the plateau, dismissing us both.

I frowned at his back, but he didn't even glance at me.

"If you hate our kind so much, I know of a video tape that might interest you," Yusuke said casually.

 _Brilliant_ , I thought at him.

Hiei stopped. "What tape would that be?"

"Oh," Yusuke shrugged. "Just a little snuff film you may have heard of called  _Chapter Black_."

Hiei's eyes widened.

"Now that I think of it, Kurama did say that you tried to get your bandaged hands on it. It's out of print, but Sensui's got a copy…I could get it for you," Yusuke suggested.

"The most forbidden contraband in all of Spirit World? You think they'll let you walk out with it?" Hiei asked doubtfully.

Yusuke's hands went to his hips. "Think about it for a sec – in all the rush of the aborted apocalypse, that stupid tape will be the last thing Spirit World intelligence will be thinking about."

"Heh, you're quite clever when you put your mind to mischief," Hiei commented, amused. His expression changed, and he lowered his head and looked up at something in the distance behind me. "Hey…"

I turned and saw two ginormous winged demons approaching the plateau. I cringed at the sight of them.

"Friends of yours?" Hiei asked Yusuke.

"I assumed they were yours," Yusuke replied lightly.

The demons landed with a pounding  _crack_  as they hit the plateau, towering above us like houses. I could tell they were weak, but I really wasn't in the mood to dispatch them. I slipped away from Kaname's prone form and stood beside Hiei.

The demon on the right growled, wide-mouthed, sending a reeking air of sewers and dead things over to us.

"Whoa, somebody needs a breath mint," Yusuke commented, wrinkling his nose.

"We're new to town," said the one who growled.

"We've come to plunder your puny world. Show us your women and human flesh depository!" said the one on the left.

"As you can tell we're hungry in more ways than one!" announced the demon on the right.

I scowled at the pair, and moved to step forward, but Hiei's hand wrapped around my wrist to stop me. He turned to Yusuke. "This means that Mushiori City has advanced to stage three. I believe these demons are technically classified as weak and ugly."

I suppressed a smile and tugged my arm in his grasp. He didn't let go.

The demon on the right stomped his massive foot. "Who you callin' ugly?"

"Get a load of this one – he doesn't even have a single beauty wart on his face!" the one on the left jeered.

"I kind of like that about you," I said to Hiei.

The one on the right narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you a woman?"

I gave him an are-you-dumb-as-shit look, disgusted. Couldn't he tell?

"Oh, no way!" Yusuke teased, giving my shoulder a shove. "She's a guy – you can tell by the way she doesn't have much for tits –  _ow_ , Alice!" he complained, rubbing his side where I jabbed my elbow.

"Jackass," I told him. I turned to find Hiei holding his hand in front of him, fingers curled, examining his palm. His stoplight red eyes darted to my chest and up to my scowl. He was clearly thinking about the last time he got to cop a feel.

"Joke's on you, Detective," he finally said, with a smirk. "They're fuller than they look."

" _Hiei!_ "

"Hm," Yusuke said thoughtfully, holding his chin, looking down at my chest. "I guess I'd have to feel them myself to find out."

"Not.  _Happening_ ," I snapped, moving behind Hiei as far as his grasp on my arm would let me. He dropped his hold when he seemed to deem me safe enough, and turned back to the winged demons, who were looking on in confusion.

"I don't get it," said the one on the right to the other. "Is it a female or not?"

The one on the left wrinkled his nose. "Better not risk it."

"Hey, Yusuke," Hiei said. "I think we've stumbled across a very good reason for me to help. If we don't defeat Sensui, we'll be overrun with these disgraces to the demon race, and I would not enjoy that."

"Yeah, me neither," Yusuke agreed.

The demon on the right's fist went back as he swung at Yusuke. "I'm  _going_  to enjoy eating you!" he cried.

Yusuke and Hiei were too fast for me to see exactly what they did, but the two demons disintegrated in a flash of cracking energy.

"As much as I can't stand the humans, I think I loathe tourists even more," Hiei stated, sword disappearing under his cloak.

I rolled my eyes, but ignored the insult, holding up Kaname's key between my fingers. "We should hurry. Let's steal Sniper's bike."

Yusuke blinked at me and his mouth split into a grin. "I like the way you think, Alice. You know how to drive that thing? 'Cause I sure don't."

I bit my lip. "Well, okay, it's been a minute, but I think I can figure it out again. I used to have one when I lived in Austin, since cars are such hassles in big cities. God, it was loads of fun."

Yusuke gave me a confused look and shook his head. "One day you're gonna have to sit down and tell me what you're talking about, but not today. We got places to be. C'mon, I know where his bike is."

Hiei and I followed Yusuke down the craggy side of the plateau, heading around the forest and to the edge of the steep hill leading up to the road. Kaname's 1993 electric blue Honda CBR 900RR was waiting under an oak tree. I ran up to it, and stared at it for a minute.

"Well?" Yusuke asked, one hand going to his hip expectantly.

"Uh," I told him.

"What is it?" Hiei asked, noticing my face.

"It's freaky. One of my ex-boyfriends had this same bike," I answered, cringing, swinging my leg over the seat and sliding the key in the ignition. I twisted the key and cranked the engine. The roar drowned out Yusuke's curious  _huh_ , and I focused on remembering where they kept the brake on the damn thing. I finally found it, the gas, and the clutch, and then gave Hiei and Yusuke an expectant look as I shifted the bike and kicked up the stand.

This model was a sportster, meaning that it was really only meant for one person, but if you cared to risk it, you could cram two people in the tiny seat. Yusuke and Hiei exchanged a glance, and it went without saying that Yusuke would be the one joining me on the bike. He swung his leg over the bike and squeezed himself behind me. His arm went around my waist, and I suddenly remembered that Yusuke was very, very shirtless right now.

I tried not to give Hiei a guilty look and instead shifted into first gear, winding my way over to a nearby short road that would get us up onto the main road to Mushiori. Hiei's red eyes caught mine, and then he disappeared. I imagined he would beat us to Demon's Door Cave.

I finally got us onto the winding mountain road and kicked the bike into second, then third, then finally fourth gear. I was shaky at first, but then I fell into the old familiar feeling of driving. I felt Yusuke relax against my back, and he laughed into the wind by my ear.

"This is fun!" he shouted over the engine.

I kicked it into fifth and took the next curve at sixty miles an hour when I really should have taken it at forty. It was tight, and we took a dangerous lean into the center of the road. I grinned and Yusuke whooped, and together we cackled.

We flew down the highway, and didn't meet any other vehicles luckily. Last thing we needed was to be slowed down by some cop or some old lady.

I stayed focused on driving, because I'd been out of it for so long, but once we came to the outskirts of Mushiori my thoughts turned to the boys going into the cave. I wondered if they would let me go with them.

Probably not, I scowled.

We found the cave just by feeling and looking out for the demonic energy it emitted. It took us about thirty minutes to get to the dirt turnoff, where Botan, Genkai, Yana, Kaito, Mitarai, and Kurama waited. Hiei appeared out of nowhere as I downshifted and braked in front of the group. I gave him a surprised look, thinking he would have been waiting for us with the others.

Hiei ignored my expression, and I figured he just stayed back long enough to wait for the show to get on the road.

Yusuke hopped off the bike, and I twisted the key, killing the engine.

Kurama gave the bike a curious once-over, raising an eyebrow at me. "You're committing grand theft auto now, Alice?"

I laced my fingers in front of me and stretched. "You've got to shake things up once in awhile. Besides, Sniper didn't say I couldn't borrow his bike."

"Only because Hiei knocked him out," Yusuke said, tossing me a grin. "You've definitely been spending too much time between Kurama and Hiei."

"You stole a bicycle earlier," I accused.

He held up his hands. "Hey, don't blame your lack of morals on me, kid. I'm not the klepto here, unlike Fox Boy or Bandaged Hands."

Hiei twitched at his new nickname, and I swung off the bike with a roll of my eyes. "Are we going into the cave or not?"

" _Not_  you," Kurama informed me, green eyes swinging over my head to Yusuke and then to Genkai. "I believe it's wisest to storm the cave now, but as Genkai-shishou has mentioned, we should scout ahead for danger."

"I can scout!" I insisted, "I can totally scout!"

"Pipe down, brat," Genkai told me, voice rough with annoyance. Her arms were folded as she looked over the group. "Kurama, Yusuke, and Hiei will go ahead in the cave. The rest of us will wait here."

"Erm, Genkai-shishou? I think it's a good idea if I go down with them," Mitarai said, stepping up, raising his hand slightly. "That cave is a maze, but I know the way to get to Itsuki."

"And why the hell should we trust you?" Hiei demanded, arching a black eyebrow at him.

Mitarai wilted under Hiei's crimson glare, and I felt for the poor kid. Still, Hiei did have a point. I didn't say anything, but I moved beside Hiei and gave him a disapproving glance. He ignored me.

The rest of the group was silent for a beat, until Yana bent down and muttered to Yusuke: "You want me to check him out with my Copy?"

Yusuke's brown eyes were thoughtful, and he waved Yana off, moving toward the very glum-looking Mitarai. Yusuke's hand landed on the blond boy's shoulder, who looked up in surprise.

"You're all right, Mitarai," Yusuke said warmly. "All right, let's get going everyone."

Hiei's red eyes flashed at Mitarai. "You're taking point, where we can watch you," he said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Yes, Hiei-san," Mitarai responded, biting his lip.

My hand went around Hiei's wrist, and I tugged him around to the other side of the bike, a few feet away from the others. We were still in plain sight, so I turned my back to them so they couldn't see me scowl at him.

"You're being mean," I said.

His eyebrows went up with some amount of incredulity. "Since when am I nice? You seem to be forgetting the fact that not only am I a  _demon_ , I am a  _demon_  dealing with a traitorous  _human_. Are you as insipid as the rest of them?"

"I'm not asking you to be nice, Hiei, I'm just asking you to  _not_  be mean." I bit my cheek so that I wouldn't say anything about him calling me stupid. I really could have done without that, and found it completely uncalled for, but it really wasn't important at the moment. I'd call him out on it later, because I knew that he would find some other way to insult me again.

"I don't have time for this," he told me flatly, brushing past me.

"I understand," I told him, fighting the urge to kick him and storm off. "Obviously you want to make sure he doesn't betray us as well, but he seems genuine enough to me, and I just don't see the point of going out of your way to –"

"Enough already," he interrupted, stopping and giving me a look. It wasn't exactly a glare, but it wasn't soft either. "I'm going now."

"Fine," I told him, jutting my chin and folding my arms. I could feel a wave of rage at being dismissed, and it manifested as a hot prickling in my cheeks.

Hiei gave me an amused smirk and sauntered over to where Yusuke, Kurama, and Mitarai were waiting by the hill that sloped down to the cave. I gave them a wave, ignoring Hiei, and watched them start down the hill. The top of Hiei's head disappeared first, and I felt my stomach flinch a little. Kurama turned to look over his shoulder at me curiously, and then he disappeared into the small valley too.

"All right," Genkai said. "Now we wait for them to come back with information, and then we plot our next move."

I sighed.


	26. Left Ey3

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twenty-six: Left Ey3**

_Caught my man cheatin', now I'm rolling through the west side,_

' _Bout to burn his fucking house down like I'm Left Ey3,_

_(Rest in peace!)_

_Like I'm Left Ey3,_

_(Rest in peace!)_

' _Bout to burn this motherfucker down like I'm Left Ey3,_

_Heard my man was cheatin' with another bitch at my house,_

_Now I'm finna make a scene like I'm Amy Winehouse_

_(Rest in peace!)_

_Amy Winehouse_

_(Rest in peace!)_

' _Bout to burn this motherfucker down like Amy Winehouse_

_I'm 'bout to run up in this bitch with choppas like I'm Patty Hearst,_

_Stylish, but violent,_

_I'll leave you in a tinted hearse,_

_In my purse I got that .22 to get the job done,_

_V-nasty whips the ghetto way, you know how I mob son,_

_I'm Lorena Bobbitt chillin' in your bed,_

_I'm Britney Spears on hella drugs and I just shaved my head,_

_Fuck the feds and the police,_

_Ain't nobody touchin' me,_

_Thelma and Louise,_

_Suicide girl thuggery_

-Kreayshawn

* * *

Botan and I were sitting in the back of Sensui's truck when we saw the cloud that had been hanging over Mushiori disappear. I set aside Kaname's English homework, inspecting the purple night sky, as Botan hopped out of the truck and whooped.

"Easiest avoided apocalypse yet!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "You're welcome, world!"

"Hate to piss on your parade," Koenma said, appearing in the clearing. He was in his teenage form with a serious expression in his brown eyes. "But the end is still near."

"Ah! Koenma!" Botan said, startled. She calmed, approaching him.

"Activity in the psuedospace has quieted down, like in the eye of a storm, giving us two hours before the final stage," Koenma explained.

"What?! We were told two days! You can't keep changing the ETA!" she complained.

"It's not a subway, Botan, it's highly volatile."

Botan gave him a thoughtful look. "You left so urgently without explaining…what happened in the Reikai?"

Koenma indicated to his mafuuken. "I had to get Dad's permission to use this. I'm going in the cave after Yusuke and the others – you stay here and wait for the signal, okay?"

"Signal?" she asked, and I realized I was nervously tapping Kaname's pen against my knee.

"If there's an earthquake in two hours, that means the kekkai has been broken and the tunnel is complete. If that happens, get out quick, fly to the Reikai and inform my father," Koenma ordered, turning and approaching the cave.

"Yes, sir," she answered, worried.

"Goodbye, Botan. Goodbye, Alice," Koenma said, sounding like a man certain to never see us again. He clenched his hands and grimly went into the cave.

"Be careful!" I called after him from the bed of the truck. He didn't respond, or make any acknowledgement that he heard me, and disappeared into the darkness.

Botan's shoulders were hunched over as she wrung her hands thoughtfully. "So Koenma is finally going to remove that pacifier…" she muttered, turning back to me. "I wonder what that will do?"

"Looks like we've still got a wait ahead of us," I told her, digging through Kaname's book bag. I found it in a small compartment under the seat of his bike, and I'd been nosing through it for the last two hours. There wasn't much else to do, unless you counted the Gameboy in the truck with dead batteries, so I'd been steadily working through the mountains of half-finished worksheets Kaname had. I could tell he was smart by the work he had actually done, but not very dedicated. "You wanna do Sniper's history homework?" I offered, holding out a worksheet to her. "You might remember some of this stuff."

"Oh, Alice! How old do you think I am?" she demanded, taking the worksheet and skimming it. "Oh! I know this! Give me a pen!"

I did, not bothering to hide my wry grin.

* * *

_6:50 AM, Thursday, November 4, 2010_

_Austin, Texas_

I yawned, pouring myself some coffee in a to-go cup. I had just  _finally_  finished my graveyard shift at Waffle House, and now I was on my way out the door before someone could ask me to work for them on my day off. It happened almost every day. I checked my phone and saw it was six-fifty. If I hurried home, I could take a quick catnap and a shower before I had to be at the bait shop at eight o'clock.

Marjorie hurried up to me, an older woman in her fifties, and I already knew what was going to come out of her mouth. She'd been trying to shirk off and push her shifts onto Amanda and me ever since we started here. She was also a really shitty waitress, only taking the tables with people  _she_  wanted to wait on, and then barely touched her sidework. I didn't know why she even bothered to have a job if she wasn't going to show up and do it. She pissed me off.

Her mouth opened. "Alice, baby, can you cover my shift Saturday night? I gotta go see a friend of mine."

"Marjorie, you know how many goddamn jobs I have – I don't have time to do yours too," I snapped at her, not feeling any sympathy for her. I was tired and didn't care if she told Megan, our manager, that I was being a bitch to her. And I knew that she just wasn't going to see a friend, she was going to a bar. It was a Saturday night in Austin she wanted, and I wasn't stupid.

I didn't wait to hear her reply, and stormed out of the diner, shrugging on my jacket as I did so. My motorcycle, a fire-engine red 2008 Kawasaki Versys, sat in the back waiting for me. I shivered as a cold wind cut through me, glad the ride home would be short, and remembered that motorcycles didn't typically have cup holders. Mine, for instance.

I frowned at my coffee cup, realizing that I was still used to having a car. I'd just gotten my bike a week ago, used, for $3,000, and I was still bringing too much stuff with me. Well, maybe if I carefully wedged the cup between my pelvis and the front of the bike it would work. Home was only a mile away. I would have walked to work, but I had to come in at eleven o'clock last night, and walking around alone at night in any big city isn't a great idea if you're a girl.

I climbed on my bike, stuck in the key, unlocked it, and cranked the engine. At least it would be warm for a bit, even though I was just going down the road. I shoved the cup between my thighs, glad for the extra warmth. I  _hated_  winter.

I shifted into first gear and left the parking lot, moved into second gear, and whizzed down the street at about thirty. My apartment complex was past an Exxon, a Whole Foods, and an elementary school. I stopped at a red light, downed half my coffee, and wedged it back onto the seat when the light turned green. I moved to the right lane and turned off the street. My apartment complex was just a bunch of your average, generic brick buildings. There were five buildings, and mine was the closest one to the street.

Swinging into the assigned parking space in front, I killed the engine, locked the bike and grabbed my coffee cup before it could fall on the ground. It spilled a little on my hand, but it wasn't that hot anymore. I climbed off and gave the seat a pat, and hurried into my apartment. I couldn't afford to run the heater, so I figured a hot shower would be good to warm me up. Teddy greeted me as I closed and locked the door, yowling and winding around my legs, demanding breakfast.

"You have food in your bowl," I told him, glancing at it on the kitchen floor. I picked him up and cuddled him, and he bore it patiently. "One day, Teddy, I'm going to make kitty stew and use your soft, soft fur as a pillow case," I said lovingly.

He gave a soft growl and I let him go. He dashed away and disappeared under the kitchen table.

I finished my coffee and dropped the empty cup in the trash in the kitchen on my way to the bathroom.

A nice hot shower sounded delightful.

* * *

It felt like days after Koenma went into the cave that Genkai, Yana, and Kaito returned. Kaito had an unconscious Amanuma in his arms, and I thought the boy looked very small and fragile.

"Oh! Thank goodness you're back!" Botan exclaimed running up to them. I climbed out of the truck bed and away from Kaname's homework to go inspect them as well. "Give me a full report! How did it go?" she asked.

Yana answered. "We made it halfway down. No one on our side was hurt."

"Urameshi and the others should have reached Sensui's hideout by this point," Kaito continued.

"Oh, dear! I almost forgot – Koenma-sama has gone into the cave too!" Botan said.

"Yes, we passed him on the way back up here," Genkai replied, thoughtfully.

"He had such a determined look on his face! He said he might remove his pacifier for this!" Botan added.

Genkai frowned. "Wow, have things really gotten that bad?"

"Yes," Botan answered. She kneeled in front of the old woman. "So tell me Genkai-shishou, what happens when Koenma-sama removes his pacifier?"

Genkai shrugged. "Beats me."

" _Huuuhh?"_  Botan demanded, crestfallen. "Oh, poo! I thought you knew!"

"What happened to him?" I asked Kaito, pointing to Amanuma.

Kaito shifted Amanuma's weight in his arms. The kid didn't look very heavy, but Kaito (who didn't appear to be in incredible shape)  _had_  been carrying him for a while. "Let me set him down and I'll tell you."

He followed me to the truck bed where I dropped the tailgate for him. Kaito set Amanuma down gently and stretched his arms out. He took his time, and I got the feeling that he sort of liked making me wait. I kept my face clear of annoyance.

"Well, Shuichi certainly showed his cruel side today," Kaito said casually, stretching his left arm across his body. He let it drop to his side and adjusted his glasses. "I didn't realize that he was so capable of killing children. Even ones who are not so innocent." He looked at Amanuma and frowned.

"Kurama's capable of a lot of things," I told him, watching Amanuma's chest rise and fall with each breath. "Cruelty is at the top of the list. But I know he didn't want to kill the kid, because he's also capable of great kindness."

"Two sides of a coin," Kaito remarked. "That man, Koenma, he brought Game Master back to life."

"Ah, I was wondering about that," I said. "Usually when Kurama kills someone they stop breathing."

Kaito gave an amused smile. "Game Master did it to himself really. Shuichi just made him realize his life was at stake by virtue of his psychic powers. I believe you've mentioned before that Sensui doesn't care about his minions. This was only further proof."

I sighed. "Jeez, Kaito, you make me sound like some kind of psychic."

* * *

_10:05 AM, Thursday, November 4, 2010_

_Austin, Texas_

"Hey babe, can you file this for me?" Jim asked, handing me an expense report for last month. I took the papers from him, skimming it, and turned to the desktop, trying to fight a yawn. "Dad wants this done before noon. I'll make some more coffee – you look like shit."

I scowled at my boyfriend, but he disappeared into the break room before he saw me. Jim always pushed his work on me – like I didn't have enough of my own to deal with.  _And_  his dad wanted this done by noon, which was total bullshit because filing this would take at least half the day. I knew his dad wouldn't have handed this off this morning if he wanted it done today. My guess was he gave it to Jim to do yesterday, and Jim put it off until he could make me do it.

Ugh.

I minimized the window for the orders our customers were making, and opened a new Excel file. Filing the expenses wasn't a hard task – it was data entry at its most basic form – but it was time consuming because I had to go through receipts of payment and orders and  _ugh_. And it was  _boring_. Luckily, James, Jim's dad, already tidied the receipts and forms.

I spent the next few minutes flipping through the stack of pages, entering the information in utter boredom. Actually, you'd think it would be a relief to give my mind a break after waiting tables, but honestly it just made me sleepy.

A chime cut through the silence in the office, and looked down and saw Jim's iPhone. A text from a Marissa popped up.

 _Sounds familiar. Do I know a Marissa?_  I wondered, yawning. I added in another line of data, and the phone chimed again.

Marissa again. Apparently she had a lot to tell Jim. I swear I knew a Marissa. Hmm, she was probably just a friend of his, and maybe she was ranting about something. Jenna had a tendency to rant and rant and rant via text when she was mad. I did too, as a matter of fact. I added another line to the report.

Wait – wasn't Marissa the name of Jim's ex-girlfriend?

I seized the phone, squinting at the screen. Jim had blocked his texts from showing up on locked screen, so I swiped the phone open, but was met with a demand for a password.

 _Suspicious,_  I thought. I put in his debit card pin number, having remembered it from the one time he lent it to me to fill his truck up.

It worked.

_Hey sexy i just want u 2 no i had a great time wit u last nite. She work tonite 2? I want u 2 come over 2 my place again. We should get back together dont u think?_

My knuckles were white, I noticed.

"What are you doing?" I heard from the doorway.

I looked up and saw Jim looking at me with a frown. His eyes fell on his unlocked phone in my hand and he went pale. "That's not yours! What the  _fuck_  are you  _doing, Alice?"_

"Are you shitting me right now, Jim Stevenson?! You're making me  _that_  girl?" I demanded, shoving his phone in his face so he could see the text messages. "You're  _cheating on me!"_

He ripped his phone out of my hand and shoved me. "So what if I am?!" he yelled. " _You're_  never around! All you do is work! What the fuck do you care, you stupid bitch?!"

I felt a strange mixture of rage and relief. He did it because he was lonely, not because of me, necessarily. But also, I was sort of glad that he fucked up, because he was such an asshole.

But right then, the rage making my head swim controlled me. "How  _dare_  you blame me! Excuse me for having to work – my  _daddy_  doesn't pay all my bills!"

"Most people don't have  _four_   _jobs!_  I don't even know why I started dating you – you never go out, you're boring, and I'm sick of listening to you whine all the time about how tired you are! You're a lazy fuck in bed too," he sneered, towering over me. "Go ahead and cry, bitch. I know you want to."

I laughed at him. "You want to talk about lazy fucks in bed? Do you really want to go there? Because you're the shittiest, most selfish fuck I've ever had. Did you know that I'd rather use my vibrator than your tiny dick –  _any_  da-"

"Shut up!" he shouted in my face, hands wrapping around my shoulders as he gave me a violent shake. My teeth clattered together under the force. "You shut your fucking mouth, you goddamned  _bitch!_ "

I couldn't believe this was happening. "Let  _go_  of me, asshole –  _ugh!"_

Jim shoved me into the wall – hard. "We're over, bitch. You hear me? Get the fuck out and don't come back here again!"

"Who'd want to?" I shot back at him, pushing him aside to grab my bag. "Enjoy finally doing your own fucking work, you worthless piece of shit."

Jim raised his hand like he would hit me, but he blinked, as if fighting against his foggy anger, and his fist tightened but dropped to his side. "Get the fuck out," he said simply.

I pulled my bag over my shoulder, grabbed my coat, and shoved past him as I left the office, making sure I hit him extra hard with my shoulder as I stormed out. He didn't say a thing.

How could I date such a douche?

The sun was bright outside, warming me as the icy air cut through my jacket. I shouldered my bag and stood on the sidewalk for a minute, wondering what I should do. I'd not only just lost my boyfriend, but also a rather lucrative job. I sighed, scanning the street, and then stopped.

The Starbucks sign across the street winked at me.

Okay, then.

Darting across the street when it was finally clear, I opened the door and slipped inside. It was busy and warm, and smelled of wonderful roasted coffee beans. The squeal of the steaming wand cut through the murmurs of the customers, as a barista made a latte. I stood in line with two goals in mind.

"How can I help you?" the friendly barista asked. She had a bright smile, glossy brown hair under her hat, and her nametag said "Jenna" – the same name as my best friend. I took it as a sign.

"Can I have a small soy mocha and job application?"

She blinked. "Sure, well, actually, we do our applications online now. You just go to our website, click on the careers link, and follow the process from there. You know how it is – everyone is doing everything online now." She grabbed a small cup and a Sharpie. "Okay, soy mocha. No whip, right?" I nodded. "All righty, what's your name?"

"Alice."

She smiled. "I'll remember that. I loved the movie – both of them, and you even look like her! So after you apply, just go ahead and call up here the next day, and say Jenna recommended you, okay?"

"Fantastic," I told her with a grin.

"Okay, this will be ready in a minute," she said brightly. She handed the cup off to her coworker, and I stepped out of line to the pick-up area.

The guy who made my coffee was slim, with big hipster glasses, and looked really adorable in his green apron. He gave me a sweet smile as he handed me the cup. "Here, Alice. It's hot, so be careful, okay?"

To my horror, I felt my eyes and sinuses burning with unexpected emotion. I managed to hold the tears back, but judging by his surprised expression, I think my eyes were still kind of watery-looking. "Thanks," I told him.

"You're welcome," he replied, looking kind of concerned.

I left the shop before I could  _really_  make a big fool of myself, and went down the street until I found the local playground. I collapsed on the swing and sipped my mocha. The bitter espresso was covered by the sweet chocolate, and it slid down my throat like warm honey, radiating a sweet heat through my limbs. I swung half-heartedly, not really wanting to get my bike from the parking lot down the street and head home yet. The cold air felt nice on my still stinging cheek anyway.

My phone rang. I dug it out from my bag on my lap and saw it was my mom.

"Hi," I told her, carefully trying not to sound depressed.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" I asked, chuckling slightly.

She sighed. "Mother's intuition, and I also called to see if you wanted to bring something for Thanksgiving. I know, I know, it's still early, but you know that I like to plan the menu in advance. I already got the turkey, but if you want, I'll grab a Tofurkey for you. I know you can't carry much on your bike, and honestly, I don't know how you haven't cracked your head open on that thing. Did you want me to do that?"

"Yes, Mama," I said, sniffing. It felt nice to have her nag me. "How's everyone? I haven't talked to Ann in awhile."

I heard some clinking in the background, and I pictured her moving around in the small kitchen. "Oh they're all right. Cathy, baby, get Mama her keys, and tell Daddy Alice is on the phone."

"Mama, I wanna talk to her too!" I heard my littlest sister whine.

"All right, all right, Cathy wants to say hi." The phone was silent for a second and then I heard my sister giggle.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "You're gonna come over for Thanksgiving right?"

"Yep!" I responded, smiling at her tiny voice. "Have you made any turkey art yet?"

"Mmm, we did in school. Miss Sanders made us for the classroom, even though we told her we were too old for that baby stuff."

"Hey, I like doing that baby stuff!" I told her indignantly. "If I'm not old enough for it, you definitely aren't. I mean, what are you, six?"

"Eight!" she growled, and I heard her stamp her foot, I swear.

"Okay, calm down, I'm only teasing you," I said, laughing. "What's Ann doing?"

"She's over at her friend's house, but she wouldn't let me go with her, stupid meanie head," Cathy sulked.

"Y'all still fighting a lot?" I asked.

"They're driving me crazy!" my mother called in the background.

" _Mom!_ " Cathy complained. "You're driving  _me_  crazy!"

I laughed. "Can I talk to Mama again?"

Cathy gave a whine. "But I wanna talk to you! When are you coming over again?" she demanded.

I thought about it. "I  _think_  I'm free next Sunday. Do you want me to come over then?"

"Yes!" she yelled in excitement. "Alice is coming over Sunday, Mama! Oh, here's Daddy!"

The phone fumbled, and I heard my dad. "Hey, kiddo. What are you up to?"

"Just drinking one of them there fancy pants lattes from the Starbucks," I told him. "What about you?"

He laughed. "Not much, just had to fix a fence your mother's whack job of a horse kicked over. She's got some powerful legs, even though she's getting up there in age. As a matter of fact, I'm getting up there too."

"Yeah, you are pretty old," I teased. "But wisdom comes with age at least, so it ain't all bad."

"Nah, I think I'm getting dumber. Wasn't all too bright to begin with, but as your mama says, it's a good thing I'm pretty."

I cackled, and heard my mother and sister laugh too. "Okay, I guess I'll see y'all Sunday then."

"All righty, kiddo. Miss ya, love ya, be safe, well – you know the drill."

"Okay, Dad, back at you," I said. "See y'all."

"Bye!"

We hung up, and I felt a lot better somehow. I tipped my head back and finished my drink, hopped off the swing and dropped the empty cup in a trashcan. I unlocked my phone and called Jenna next, leaving the park and making my way to the parking lot where I parked my bike.

"Jim's an asshole," I said when she answered the phone.

She made an exaggerated confused noise. "What? Really? What made you think that, boo?"

I told her what happened in rapid-fire speech, not censoring a thing, cursing like a sailor as I stormed down the street. No one really looked at me, or paid much attention. I reached the parking lot feeling hot and angry.

"I can't believe that. It's completely ridiculous," Jenna said, sounding furious. "I'll bring some wine over. Are you home?"

"I will be in a few minutes," I answered, furrowing my brow. "It's only eleven – shouldn't we wait until later?"

"Fuck that, it's wine-thirty," said my biffle.

I cackled. "There's a reason I like you."

* * *

I was really beginning to get bored when the earthquake happened. I'd finished Kaname's homework ages ago, and sat on the bed of the truck brooding about Hiei's snubbing. I didn't know what his problem was. First he was all, "Oh, I kinda dig you", and now he was all, "Oh, now I'd like to dig a hole for you and bury you in it." Probably not literally, but I guess you never really know with demons.

'Course I'd kinda like to bury  _him_  in a hole. The jerk.

Botan had already left for the Reikai to report to King Enma, following Koenma's orders after the earthquake. After the world stopped shaking, I joined Genkai, Kaito, and Yana by the cave entrance, pulling my jacket tighter around me.

"How much longer do you think we have?" I asked Genkai. I could feel the bubbling energy of the dimensional tear spill out faster. The youki of the Makai tainted the air, twisting in the cold breeze. I wrinkled my nose, swearing that I could smell blood.

"Any minute now," Genkai answered. "Be prepared. Anything can happen."

A huge gust of wind suddenly blew up from the cave, sending a strong wave of youki and spirit energy around us. Genkai actually fell to her knees and I instinctively grabbed her arm before she fell to the ground completely.

"Are you okay?" Yana and I asked at the same time.

"Hope you're studying boys," she said calmly, getting to her feet and straightening. "If you couldn't sense that, then get yourself some wind chimes."

"Then that force  _was_  Urameshi's energy," Kaito observed.

"Yeah," Genkai answered. "It was Yusuke's, Sensui's, and Kuwabara's all mixed into one. And someone's about to pop."

I concentrated, stretching my senses, trying to differentiate between the different energies. It wasn't easy, because they were miles away in a confusing labyrinth, but if I focused hard enough…I could pick out Hiei's fiery youki…

Sensui's energy popped out at me next. It was unfamiliar, alien, and golden like web of a banana spider. There was something of the Hierophant in his aura - authoritative, conventional, and knowledgeable.

I could sense Yusuke's powerful aura next. It was bright, humongous, rude and impertinent.

Kuwabara's energy slipped over my senses. There was the usual sunshine to it, although it seemed slightly dimmer than it was at the Dark Tournament. Now it seemed a little like a chrysalis or a flower bud, and from that I figured that Kuwabara's energy would be the one to  _pop_ , as Genkai put it. It was building up inside of him.

Kurama's earthy blend of youki and reiki lit up in my mind next. There was something quiet about his energy – not necessarily dormant, but rather like he was thinking very hard and quickly. I could almost see his clenched fists in my mind, and a frown on his face.

There were two other energies there, one demonic and one human, but they seemed to be beyond my grasp. I was guessing the human one was Mitarai. The other one must have been what's-his-face. Itsuki? Was that it?

I came back to myself for a moment, feeling someone's eyes on me. Genkai was staring at me, and she gave me a knowing smirk.

Something suddenly burst from the cave though, Kuwabara, Sensui, and Yusuke all mixed up together again. I watched the smirk slide off Genkai's face, as her head whipped around to the cave, brown eyes widening.

I sensed it after she did.

Yusuke.

Yusuke's aura disappeared.

* * *

_8:57 PM, Thursday, November 4, 2010_

_Austin, Texas_

Jenna and I drank an entire box of chardonnay, ate an entire pan of brownies, and we annoyed my neighbors by blasting Taylor Swift, Adele, and Alanis Morrisette and bitching loudly about Jim for hours. She let me cry, and she threatened him, and she made fun of his tiny penis after I told her all about it. She listened to me and gave me a manicure, copying a polka-dot nail tutorial she'd found on Youtube. Then we lay on my couch and watched  _Legally Blonde_  three times.

"We're out of wine," I noticed, staring blankly at my empty glass.

"Wanna go to the store?" Jenna asked, sitting up, pulling her brown hair in a ponytail. I could tell she was starting to get restless, so I agreed. Neither of us was drunk, so we locked the door and slipped in her car outside.

"There's a Whole Foods down the road," I told her, rubbing my face as I watched her start her Mazda.

She wrinkled her nose. "I don't wanna pay $80 for a box of wine. HEB is only a few miles away. Hey, do you have any frosting? Because I am PMSing like a motherfucker, and I just want to eat a can of chocolate frosting. You feel me?"

"I know that feel," I replied, grinning. "I don't have any frosting though. Yeah, let's go to HEB. I've never seen a can of Pillsbury at Whole Foods in my whole life. I have to get Teddy some noms anyway."

"Nom, nom, nom, nom, babies," Jenna replied, absently, turning onto the street. "Also, I'm kinda getting tired of  _Legally Blonde_. Let's watch something depressing next, like  _Sweeny Todd_."

" _Dead Poets Society_ ," I suggested.

" _AH!_ " She yelled, hitting the steering wheel. Her blue eyes blazed as she stared at me. "I  _love, love, love_  that movie! Let's get some popcorn. You don't have class tomorrow, do you? What about work?"

"I called everyone and told them Jim died," I said.

"…Did you seriously fucking tell your bosses your boyfriend died?"

"Yup."

Jenna crammed her fist in her mouth to stifle her laughter, but it didn't work. "Oh. My. God. Alice,  _I fucking love your face_." She cackled for about two whole minutes, and I lost control with her, burying my face in my knees – laughing so hard, I cried.

And kept crying. For about five minutes. And then I started laughing again.

Jenna suddenly slammed on her brakes, jerking us to a stop in the middle of the street. The car behind us honked angrily and I looked ahead to see the road was open. Jenna was peering out of the windshield, narrowing her eyes at something in the distance. "Hey, is that fuckface's truck?"

I turned and saw the parking lot outside of a bar. Jim's truck was indeed there, souped up cherry red Dodge Ram dually, innocently sitting high off the ground. His recognizable pin-up girl window sticker stood out against his heavily tinted back window. I always told him his back window was too tinted, and he'd get a ticket for it one day. You couldn't see a goddamned thing out of it.

"Yeah," I answered Jenna. The car behind us got annoyed and whipped around us, using the shoulder. The driver flipped us off and zoomed away in the black Mustang.

The corners of Jenna's mouth widened. "I have a  _knife_."

"A sharp one?"

"You wanna see how sharp it is?"

I smiled. "That truck's his  _baby_ , Jenna. It would just be  _terrible_  if something happened to it."

"Oh, but it would be  _wonderful_  if  _we_  were the ones who did something  _terrible_  to it," Jenna responded, using the same sickly-sweet tone I did. "I ain't afraid to go to jail. How about you?"

"Let's fucking do it. It's dark. I know for a fact that place doesn't have security cameras."

"Really? How do you know?" she asked, taking her foot off the brake and pulling into the parking lot.

"It was in the newspaper after someone got mugged here last week. It's not enough time for them to install cameras even if they wanted to," I told her, bouncing in my seat with excitement. "Come on! Let's fuck it up!"

"He'll know you had something to do with it," she said, thoughtfully.

"He won't have any  _proof_. And you'll be my alibi. We can't go to the HEB though, since it's in this direction. If the police see us on their cameras around this time they'll be able to pin it on me.  _But_ , if we go to the Walmart a couple of blocks away from my house, we can probably pull it off. It's in the opposite direction anyway."

"And I'll still be able to get my frosting – it's win-win," Jenna agreed. "If I ever need to murder someone, I'm calling you."

I laughed.

We parked next to Jim's truck, and Jenna opened her glove box, pulling out a bone-handled hunting knife the size of a fucking machete. She grinned and handed it to me. "You should do the honors."

I pulled the cover off of the blade and slipped out of the Mazda, patting the huge tires on Jim's truck. "Sorry, honey," I said to the truck. "You're real pretty, but I'm gonna have to make your daddy suffer."

With that, I sunk Jenna's knife into the side of the tire, above the rim. The sudden hiss of air made me jump, and I gave it another vicious stab before I moved on to the next tire. I dragged the knife against the side of the truck for good measure, leaving a white line and destroying the pretty red paint job. I slipped around to the other side of the truck, and stabbed the other two tires quickly, making sure to stay low and out of sight.

I threw myself back into Jenna's car, slamming the door behind me, and she casually drove out of the parking lot humming a jaunty tune. I watched the Dodge sink lower to the ground in the side mirror and smothered my laughter, squirming in my seat. "I can't believe I just did that! Oh my God, Jim is going to be so pissed off! Do you know how much those tires cost him?"

"I can guess," Jenna said with a raised eyebrow. She grinned at me. "Don't you feel better now?"

"Oh,  _hell yeah_."

* * *

We gathered at the mouth of the cave - Genkai, Yana, Kaito, Botan, Shizuru, Keiko, and me. We stared into the yawning entrance as the dark sky changed into a lighter indigo behind us, bringing the scent of morning dew. After Yusuke's energy flared up again ( _youki_ , this time), the SDF's appearance, Botan and Mitarai's return, and Shizuru and Keiko's arrival, I knew that somehow everything was okay again. A lot of things had happened, but I think we all knew that it was finally over – especially when Sensui's and Itsuki's energies disappeared.

There was a sound from the cave – heavy footsteps – and we all tensed in anticipation.

Kurama and Kuwabara appeared first. Kurama seemed cool and collected, not a hair out of place, and not a tear in his clothes. It looked to me that he hadn't even really been in a fight. His green eyes brightened when they fell on us, and I suddenly felt awkward. A part of me wanted to run up and throw my arms around him, and another part of me thought that it would be stupid, so I just kind of stood there.

Hiei was on Kuwabara's back, which made my heart stop for a minute, but I realized that he was just asleep. He and Kuwabara both looked like they'd been through the ringer. Their clothes were torn and dirty, and Kuwabara looked like he wanted to just take a nap already.

Koenma was a little worse for wear, but like Kurama, his clothes were in tact. He seemed tired too.

Yusuke's hair had suddenly grown down to his legs, and he was covered with tribal markings. I realized then that his demon side had awoken, which explained the youki. His energy signature was almost similar to Kurama's now. Yusuke was missing his shirt, his jeans were torn and full of holes, and one of his sneakers was gone.

Botan cheered as Keiko flew past me and threw herself at Yusuke. His arms wrapped around her waist as he hauled her up against him, and his mouth pulled into a gentle smile.

"Oh, Yusuke!" Botan exclaimed as we crowded around them. "Always stopping my heart! Although, it's not usually because of makeovers…what happened? I'm having flashbacks of Rando."

"Man, I would kill for my hair to grow that fast," Yana said with a sigh.

Kaito adjusted his glasses. "Those marks…are they tribal incantations?"

"Is this a press conference? Give me a break, like I know how this happened." Yusuke's face was pleased though. He suddenly froze and looked away. "Hold those thoughts, guys, I gotta take care of something."

Footsteps from the cave again, and this time the members of the SDF appeared, looking like they meant business. They scowled at Yusuke, but turned their attention to Koenma.

"It appears not everyone feels this case is resolved," Kurama murmured.

"Koenma!" the captain said. "You know the Reikai will not overlook this treason!"

"Treason?!" me and Kuwabara demanded together.

"You have disobeyed my orders – delivered directly from your father to erase that boy! You've let the Mazoku emerge, fully knowing what that could bring. You'll take responsibility and  _come with us_."

"Yes, I'm no fool, Ootake. I realized what the consequences would be," Koenma said, soberly.

Yusuke scowled right back at them. "You stupid tools! Think you can hide behind your uniforms and push decent people around? Look, I don't start fights with the defenseless, but you're starting to piss me off and that's a whole different thing! And since you're all new here, let me give you a tip – threatening the guy who helped save us will definitely piss me off." Yusuke's fists clenched. "Koenma did what he could to help, and if getting rid of you is what it takes to protect him, then I'll kill you all –  _one by one._ "

His words frightened the SDF, and the captain paled and stiffened up like a corpse. After a moment he said, "I'd love to accept the challenge, but sealing this hole takes precedence. Let me personally assure you – this isn't over! Soldiers!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they cried and then they all turned into balls of light, disappearing into the cave.

"Sorry, was that a little much?" Yusuke asked Koenma.

"Not at all, Yusuke – took the words right from my mouth." Koenma smiled.

The sun finally stretched tendrils of yellow over the morning horizon, and we all turned to look at it.

"I've missed that sun," Yusuke said.

"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed.

"Matter of fact, I think I'll find a hammock." Yusuke stretched and started his way from the cave.

"So, Urameshi, you gonna look like that from now on?" Kuwabara asked as we followed him.

"Good question. Hell, I don't know," Yusuke replied. He stopped, noticing that Keiko was lagging behind with a strange smile on her face. "Keiko, if you really love that cave so much, we'll swing by later."

"Hold on, I'm coming!" she said, running up to him. I turned away, smiling.

"Hey Botan, you wanna carry Hiei for awhile?" Kuwabara asked, glancing at her.

"Absolutely not!"

"Come on, he weighs like two pounds!"

I giggled. "No, you should keep him Kuwabara! It looks like you have one of those teddy bear back packs – except shaped like a Hiei."

Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "Well, I gotta set him down some time. I've been carrying him for like two hours. Sis, you gonna make us some breakfast? I could really use some waffles."

"You used up all the flour to make papier-mâché the other day, remember? What were you trying to do? Make an entire ski resort panorama?" Shizuru asked, lighting a cigarette.

"I  _told you_  – I had to make a volcano! You know, for science!"

"Yeah, and you  _still_  have to clean up the kitchen, you brat. If you think I'm going to clean that mess you made for you, you got another thing coming."

"I just saved the world!"

"And that makes me your maid, how?"

"Gah! Sis, you're so annoying!"

Botan laughed, turning to me. "Siblings are so fun to watch. I really do think we should all have breakfast together though! Alice, we could stop by the supermarket or a bakery or something, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. We can get some doughnuts and fresh bread. Shizuru, do you have any coffee?"

"Yeah, but no one better complain when they see the kitchen. Seriously, Kazuma destroyed it the other day. He's lucky that I've been working so much and haven't been home to yell at him."

"Somehow, you still manage to yell at me every chance you get, sis."

Someone bumped into my shoulder, and I glanced up and saw Kurama smiling down at me. "Will you make French toast?" he asked.

"Sure."

* * *

_10:30 PM, Thursday, November 4, 2010_

_Austin, Texas_

My phone rang. Jenna gave me an expectant look from the couch, and I peeked at the screen and saw Jim's name. "It's him," I told her.

"Answer it! Answer it!"

I slid the phone open and held it to my ear, forcing my voice into a calm tone. "What the hell do you want?"

"You bitch! You slashed my fucking tires! I'll fucking strangle you! You just wait until I get my hands on you, Alice! I know where you live, where you work, and where your sisters go to school! You think you were smart to get revenge on me? You thought wrong!" he screamed.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've been with Jenna all night. If you want to keep threatening me though, I can call the police and file charges against you. Would you like that?"

"Yeah, act like you don't know a fucking thing! You're so stupid, Alice, you think the police will believe you? I just broke up with you, so obviously you're mad at me for that, huh?"

"Wow, someone's full of himself. Look, don't fucking call me anymore. We don't have anything to do with each other and I don't care about you or your lame ass attempts to make me pay attention to you. Leave me alone."

"Hey! Don't you dare hang up –"

I hung up the phone and Jenna and I doubled over in laughter.


	27. Kill All Your Friends

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Kill All Your Friends**

_Well you can hide a lot about yourself,_

_But honey, what're you gonna do?_

_And you can sleep in a coffin,_

_But the past ain't through with you._

_'Cause we are all a bunch of liars._

_Tell me, baby, who do you wanna be?_

_And we are all about to sell it,_

_'Cause it's tragic with a capital T._

_Let it be, Let it be, Let it be!_

_'Cause we all wanna party when the funeral ends._

_(Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)_

_And we all get together when we bury our friends._

_(Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)_

_It's been eight bitter years since I've been seeing your face._

_(Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba)_

_And you're walking away, and I will die in this place._

_-My Chemical Romance_

* * *

Everything went back to normal fairly quickly, but I think that had more to do with the black cloud of entrance exams hanging over my head. I started studying extra hard after battle at Demon's Door Cave, and I didn't see anyone for days – although, I did hear that Kuwabara was also making a serious effort to get into an escalator school nearby. I wished him luck on the phone, briefly, and then went and buried myself in Japanese history and classical literature.

"You're squinting again," Hiei remarked from his seat on my bed. He was leaning against the wall beside the windowsill, running some sort of demonic animal hide over his sword. His crimson eyes were fixed on my face, and his mouth twitched in amusement. "Are you positive that perfect human eyesight of yours isn't going to hell?"

I blinked, realizing the room had gotten darker. I switched on my desk lamp and rubbed my eyes, thinking I'd probably just been straining my vision too long. But when I shoved my textbook under the lamp and bent over it, the kanji was still blurry. I sighed and sat back. "How long have I been here?" I asked him.

"Since you went down for breakfast," he answered, his tone flat.

Damn. I'd forgotten to eat lunch again. Getting up, I stretched and bent over to touch my toes, and stayed there for awhile.

"Are you stuck?" Hiei asked after a moment.

"I'm letting the blood rush to my head to oxygenate my brain cells – my brain needs resetting."

"Humans," he scoffed, and I heard him slide the katana back into the sheath. "I really don't understand why you're putting so much effort into these examinations. You already know everything you'll ever need to – after all, you survived in the human world alone before," he said, referring to my past life.

I straightened up slowly, vertebrae by vertebrae, so I wouldn't get dizzy. "I did, but I'd like to do a better job this time around. Not many people get second chances. And anyway, Shiori-san really wants me to get into Niiza – and even though I don't really want to go there, I guess it'd be nice to prove that I could get in the number one high school in the prefecture."

Hiei gave a noise that was somewhere between amused and cynical. "Why do you even care what she thinks?"

"Because she's important to me," I snapped, annoyed that he couldn't seem to grasp the concept of family. He  _had_  a sister. And I may have been a bit grumpy from being cooped up all day and missing lunch. "Why can't you just support me?"

"Why should I?" he retorted, stoplight red eyes narrowing in a glare. "You've been wrapped up in these exams for  _days_. You haven't done anything but sit in this dark room, or go to that stupid little school, and read those silly books about dead people. You've been short-tempered and annoying, and you  _don't_  have to do this. Kurama isn't bothering with  _any_  of this!"

"That's because  _he's_  only applying to one school, and he doesn't even  _want_  to go –  _I do_. And excuse me for being short-tempered and annoying, Mr. Sunshine, but this is actually a  _little_ stressful! Meiou has been a really great school, but I'm touching on scientific things I hadn't even seen in  _college_  to pass Niiza's exam! You  _don't_  have to be here if I annoy you that much!"

Hiei's jaw hardened. He was gone before I could blink.

I huffed and flung my bedroom door open. Fine then, if he really wanted to be that way, then that was  _just fine_. I stomped down the stairs and went into the kitchen, but Shiori wasn't there. Going around the corner and through the living room, I peered into the study but it was dark and empty.

Eh, she must have gone somewhere.

I went back into the kitchen and turned on the light, deciding to hunt for a bite to eat. I was pretty sure there was leftover rice and kinpira in the refrigerator, and I pulled it out hungrily. When I closed the door, I saw a note from Shiori taped on it.

_Alice and Shuichi,_

_Went over to Katsuya's for the evening. Dinner is in the fridge – be good!_

I opened the fridge again and saw she had made a soup we were obviously supposed to heat up. I still wanted kinpira and rice though, so I left it for Kurama to eat.

"Did you have a fight with Hiei?" Kurama asked, slipping into the kitchen behind me.

I shrugged, grabbing a bowl down from the cabinet and putting my food inside. It went into the microwave for a minute. "There's some soup in the fridge," I told him, pulling my dinner out of the microwave when it beeped.

His heavy hand landed on my head and his fingers ruffled my hair. "All right. You missed lunch? Is that going to be enough for you to eat?"

"Yup," I answered, stirring the rice and kinpira together. I noticed Kurama's mouth press together like he was trying not to smile at me.  _Oh, look at the silly foreign girl, mixing things with her rice!_  Shiori made that face at me too, sometimes.

"Remember we're skipping school tomorrow to go back down to the cave and interrogate Toguro," he reminded me, knowingly.

"Oh, yeah," I said, having completely forgotten that. Kurama had told me all about how he had trapped the elder Toguro brother in the Sinning Tree at the cave. I wanted to know how he knew my real name, because I had a really bad feeling about it, so we were going down to see if we could get anything out of him. Although, knowing Kurama, I'm sure Toguro would be telling us all of his deepest, darkest secrets.

"Did you want to do anything else tomorrow?" he asked, tilting his head at me. "You look like you could use a break from studying. Exams are only next week."

I shrugged again.

His fingers were in my hair again, this time pulling it away from my face, and twisting it in a braid. "You don't have to work yourself into the ground, you know. I can tell that you're trying to prove something to yourself, but you'll only make yourself angry if you get sick before the entrance exams." He gave my hair an affectionate tug and smiled wryly. "You can relax a little bit, Alice."

"You're looking out for Hiei," I accused, stabbing a clump of rice apart.

"I'm looking out for  _you_ ," he said tenderly.

I softened. "Maybe we could do something tomorrow then," I mumbled, stirring my food absently. I knew Kurama cared, but I felt like being a  _little_  stubborn and giving him a  _little_  trouble.

"Why don't you eat some of this soup?" he offered, letting go of my hair and opened the refrigerator to pull it out. It was still in the pot, so he just set it on the range and turned on the gas.

I grumbled at him.

"Oh, that's a demon language," he said brightly, lifting his eyebrows. "I didn't know that you knew any."

"No teasing," I complained.

"But it's especially fun to tease you when you're grumpy," he insisted with a grin.

I grumbled at him again.

* * *

The train the next morning to Mushiori was crowded, and Kurama and I got stuck in the center of the car, which made me very hot and irritated.

"Come by the pole," he said, squeezing me past a businessman and a high school student.

I pressed my back against the pole and Kurama formed a barrier around me with his arms. He stood close to me, close enough so that I could feel his body heat and smell the fresh green things he grew, as well as a hint of the laundry soap that clung to his shirt. His chin brushed the top of my head as someone behind him jostled into his back, and I felt my stomach flip at his closeness. He straightened, focusing on something behind me that I couldn't see. Maybe he was watching the city go by.

I tried not to think about how much I wouldn't mind someone jostling Kurama again, and instead turned my attention to Hiei.

Nope. Not a good subject either.

Better to just gnaw on the idea that Toguro knowing my name was a bad sign. I turned it over and over and  _over_  in my mind, but I couldn't think of any reasonable way he would know it. Unless Koenma kept some record of my name, and the Toguro brothers broke in and saw it or some sort of shit.

"Don't worry," Kurama murmured, sensing my mood. "It'll be all right."

I sighed.

Soon we got to Mushiori and walked through the small suburb and rural neighborhood that housed the cave. The walk down the hill was short, and I noticed the truck was still there, but Kaname's bike was gone. I guess he found it after all.

It took two hours of trudging beside Kurama and his little glowing plant things before we got to the center of the cave. I saw the underground lake, and noticed the couch and TV with curiosity. Maybe this was where Mitarai watched  _Chapter Black_?

I heard grunting and growling to my right, and suddenly a shrill yell –  _"Kurama, I'll kill y_ _ou, you son-of-a-bitch!"_  – and I whipped around to see the elder Toguro. He looked  _terrible._  There were tree limbs stuck in his face and body. The Sinning Tree was dark, nearly black, and I could feel the murky aura emanating from it. Its limbs were twisted into Toguro's waxy flesh, and lumps ran through the limbs every now and then, like it was swallowing his energy. Toguro's eyes were wide, wild, unseeing – and he was foaming at the mouth like a madman. He spat with every scream and growl. His veins stood out under his skin.

Kurama moved towards him, not bothering on wasting time. I felt his youki spike, and the Tree pulled its limb out of Toguro's head, but it still trapped his body.

It was slow, but his eyes cleared, and he glanced around the cave with a dazed look. "What…?" He looked down, saw the limbs in his skin, and gave such a bloodcurdling scream that I nearly ran out of the cave with every intent of abandoning the reason I came here. His scream lasted for what seemed like hours, and I felt the wall of the cave hit my back. I hadn't even realized I was moving away.

" _KURAMA! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME? I'LL KILL YOU!"_  Toguro roared, eyes bright and wild as he struggled against the limbs. _"I'LL SKIN YOU LIKE THE FOX YOU ARE, YOU BASTARD!_ "

"There will be none of that," Kurama said coldly, and the Tree gave Toguro such a sharp jerk that I heard a bone snap in half.

Toguro contented himself with muttering maledictions, giving Kurama a piercing glare. His eyes fell on me, backed into the wall, and a cackle bubbled up in his throat. "Ahahaha! So the lamb comes to slaughter, does she? Come here, girl – Alice Regnier. I told you there was something special planned for you, didn't I? I'll tell you  _all_  about it!"

I swallowed, but forced myself to straighten up and move closer, stopping beside Kurama. "All right. Tell me how you know my name."

"Ah-ah-ah!" He shook his head, mouth splitting into a mad smile. " _That_  would ruin the surprise! No…someone is coming for  _you_. Someone like me – demon not a human – human not a demon – both and none – someone  _frightful_ ," he dissolved the word into bubbling giggles. "Oh, I want to  _see_ it! I want to see your face when he comes! Your fear will be  _intoxicating_."

"Who's coming?" I demanded. Could he even string a proper thought together anymore? He was completely off his rocker – I mean, he was crazy before, but the Sinning Tree  _really_  messed him up.

"Hmm…if I tell you, I'll get to taste your fear…but if I don't I won't get a chance, will I?" he mumbled thoughtfully. He gave a bark of laughter, another cackle, and suddenly sobered. "All right," he said darkly, glancing over his shoulder. "All right, all right  _brother, I'll tell her_  – yes, it  _will_  be amusing, won't it?" His mouth spit into another grin as he bared his stained teeth at me. "Are you ready? Are you ready, Alice Regnier?"

"Yes," I snapped.

"Heeheehee...maybe you don't know his name though? You know who I mean if I tell you what he did, right? If I tell you," he took a rattling breath, " _he shot you in the head._ "

Oh.

Oh.

_Oh, God._

Peals of deranged laughter bounced off the walls of the cave, and Kurama suddenly grabbed my elbow, as if he were afraid I would fall over. I could feel the blood drain from my face, the tiny hairs on my arms and neck stand straight up at attention, and my entire body went rigid. Somewhere in the back of my mind, like a little whisper in my ear, getting louder and louder  _roaring_  – my mother's voice –

" _Storm's coming."_

"Alice?" Kurama's warm hand was cupping my face, green eyes searching mine. His brow was furrowed in distress.

I gasped for air. "He's coming?" My voice sounded small, like a child's.

Kurama's green eyes flashed, and his jaw hardened in a sharp line. "I will not allow him to harm a hair on your head," he vowed solemnly.

 _You can't promise that, Kurama, not even if it's you_ , I thought, feeling my insides disintegrate.

His head whipped around and he gave Toguro a look of pure ice. His irises were bright gold. "Toguro, tell me about the enemy. Is he a hanyou? What's his name? What are his powers?"

Toguro's mirth stalled and sputtered like a bad engine. "Heh. Hahaha, why should I tell  _you_ , Kurama? Are you going to turn me loose?"

His head tipped to the side, and his voice deepened. I could feel Youko beside me. "I can make that Sinning Tree even crueler, Toguro. The things you suffer now will be  _nothing_  in comparison to what I can do to you next. Or," he added, straightening, "I can make it more bearable. But you will  _never_  be free, Toguro. Not even after I cease to exist. You will be stuck to that tree until the end of time."

"Heehhhh," Toguro huffed. "I have no loyalty to him. That  _hybrid_. You either –  _don't make me laugh!_ " he snapped, spittle flying out of his mouth. "That man, that  _thing_  – Sakyo wanted him,  _brother_  wanted him…not me. Demon world upstart, fell there…years ago – right out of the sky they say. He's a human –  _he was a human_.  _SLIME! VULGAR CREATURE!"_ he suddenly screamed, startling me. "Shh, shh, yes, yes, I know, brother…hahahaha…he had some good ideas about how to kill you again,  _Alice Regnier_. Oooohh, the lovely things he said, Hesper Hatton."

So that was his name. Hesper Hatton.

The syllables ran chills up my spine.

"What are his powers?" Kurama asked again, golden eyes hardening.

"Never fought him…" Toguro cackled. "No idea!"

"How did he find out that I was alive again?" I asked, brow furrowing. "How did he know?"

"He was there…at the Tournament…"

A flash of memory hit me. I remembered going home on the boat with the girls, and taking a moment to look around.

_I watch others, humans, demons, in-betweeners. There's a load of people leaning against the rails, sauntering about the deck – I think I see Naoto's hair, but he disappears behind a brown-haired foreign man before I can see him properly._

_I huff, staring at the foreigner's back, annoyed that he got in my line of sight._

I saw him there and didn't even recognize him. But how could I? It's been eight years since I was killed, even if I pictured his face, I just get senseless shapes and angles. Nothing recognizable. I had only seen him for a few moments after all, and even then I was too scared to really pay any attention to him. His back meant nothing to me. His face was a blur. I only remembered the gun.

Toguro lapsed into laughter again, and then he gave a mad roar. His laughter turned into more laughs and cries and curses, and finally Kurama stepped away and pulled me with him.

"We won't get any more out of him," he said, face dark.

The limb of the Sinning Tree speared itself back into Toguro's forehead, with such viciousness that it stopped him mid-laugh. It was silent for a moment, long enough for us to walk out of the center of the cave, but as we started walking back I heard Toguro's wallowing screams again.

"He was almost useless," I said.

"No," Kurama disagreed. "I can work with this. I think it's wise for us to go straight home." His hand slipped from my elbow to grasp my palm. "I'll keep you safe," he promised again.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't think he could keep that promise.

* * *

"Finally, you make sense to me," Yusuke remarked, slumping at the table to stare at me. "I couldn't figure out what you were talking about when you said you used to have a bike in Austin. I thought you always lived here or something."

"Okay, so lemme get this straight," Kuwabara said, folding his arms and furrowing his eyebrows. "You used to be alive until this guy killed you, and then after you were dead, you woke up here in Japan? Alive? And not dead?"

"More or less," I answered tiredly, sipping my cold coffee. Kurama and I were sitting in the kitchen with Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei. Koenma was on the screen of the tele-case, frowning in his toddler form.

"So, Hesper Hatton crossed over here too, following you, and landed in the Makai eight years ago," Koenma surmised. "Because of the kind of humans you both are, he survived the Makai, and warped into some sort of half-breed."

"That seems to be it," Kurama agreed, glancing sideways at me. "We have to start planning safety protocols. It's very important that you don't go out of the house alone."

"Is the house that safe?" I asked, glaring at my cold coffee and wondering if I should just suck it up and put it in the microwave.

Kurama and Hiei both laughed at me.

"Don't tell me you  _really_  haven't noticed the extent of the protections and enchantments on this house," Hiei taunted, one black eyebrow soaring. He was still apparently peeved at me about our tiff. "Honestly, how thick can you be? You  _live_ here."

"Fuck off," I retorted darkly.

Kurama interjected. "It's really not that surprising, Hiei. She's just subconsciously gotten used to it after all of these years – she's even added to the layers of psychic protection, although I doubt she was doing it intentionally. Alice, I assure you, this house is probably one of the safest places in the human world. What do you think I've been doing here for fifteen years?" he chuckled. "Certainly not growing plants for gardening competitions."

I shrugged and got to my feet. I shoved my coffee in the microwave and turned it on, ignoring the resurgence of safety talk behind me. They could bicker and think all they wanted, but by the cold feeling in my stomach, I knew I had to face Hatton again one day – sooner or later. And sooner or later, he'd probably kill me. Again.

The microwave beeped, and I took my coffee and slipped out of the kitchen to go upstairs. I knew I didn't go unnoticed – there was a telling lull in Yusuke's sentence as I climbed the steps, but no one said anything to me about staying. Maybe they knew not to pester me. It was obvious I wasn't happy.

My eyes fell on my books sitting where I left them on my desk yesterday, but I didn't want to study anymore. I set my coffee mug down and fell face first in my bed. I didn't move.

I didn't move for a very long time.

* * *

Shiori woke me up. Her weight dipped the side of the bed, and I saw she was fully dressed in her work clothes. The sun was higher than it normally was, and I knew I was late getting up.

"Alice, dear, do you feel all right? Shuichi-kun said that you might want to stay home today. You can if you want to, but you'd better rest if you're sick," she said, slipping an earring in her ear and looking me over. "You do look a bit flushed." She pressed her hand on my forehead, and gave a slight smile. "Stay in bed. No studying. I'll try to leave work early if I can, all right?"

"Okay," I murmured, rolling over.

She scratched my back quickly and gave a swift kiss to the top of my head.

Sitka jumped on my bed as soon as she left the room and curled up next to me. He whined softly, but didn't have anything to say. He buried his cold nose in my neck and huffed.

I fell asleep again.

* * *

"Wake up," Hiei demanded, and I could feel him hovering over me in my half-asleep state. "I tire of this lethargy. You're only making yourself sick, you stupid girl."

"Shut up," I mumbled, burying myself deeper in my bed. It was warm and peaceful, and I would rather stay in bed than face the world.

"It's only been a day, Hiei," I heard Kurama say. "She's still in shock. Let her recover and she'll go to school tomorrow."

"Won't," I retorted and pulled the pillow over my head. "Both of you leave me alone. I'm not going anywhere."

Kurama's fingers tickled my side. "You'll go to school tomorrow – and don't think I won't drag you there in your pajamas. Do you really want everyone to see you like this?"

"Go. Away."

I heard a sigh escape from him, and he did. Hiei remained behind. I could feel his heavy glare on my back.

"What are you hoping to accomplish here? If you're stubborn enough to refuse to leave this bed, then you have the vigor to leave this house and live your life. Why are you hiding here like some timid little mouse?" he demanded, digging his fingers into my arm. "Is the human  _that_  scary?" 

I didn't answer him. He didn't get it. He could look through my memories and hear my thoughts and feel my emotions, and he  _still wouldn't get it._

There is tragedy in having your life cut short. There is tragedy in never getting to see your family again. But what's most tragic is getting another opportunity to live again, only to find death pursuing you  _in the same exact way_.

There is tragedy in knowing that God hates you – so much that he can't even be bothered to come up with another way to kill you.

Frankly, I'd just rather stay in bed.

* * *

Kurama forced me out of bed the next morning, as he threatened to do, and I was also harassed, coerced, and manipulated into bathing, dressing, and eating breakfast. I tried to ignore him at first, but you can't ignore a thousands year old fox demon. You also can't argue with one. You can yell all you'd like, but you'll just come out of it looking like a bitch.

Such are the powers of Youko Kurama.

After he forced my coat and scarf on me, his hand went around mine and he dragged me to school. I stared glumly at the sidewalk the whole way, ignoring the crisp air and chirping morning birds that I usually liked, and gave a few sad attempts at twisting away from him. His hand was like iron though, so I didn't go anywhere. My mood darkened.

"Morning Shuichi, Alice," Kaito greeted us, closing his novel he had been reading while walking. "It's getting warmer. Nice day, isn't it?"

"Positively wretched," I responded.

Kaito's eyebrow went up as he glanced at the sun peeking over the rooftops, a lovely sunrise honestly, and looked back to me. "Er…everything all right with you?"

"We've had another otherworldly issue come up, but it's nothing like Sensui's case," Kurama answered, finally letting go of my hand as we crossed the school's gates. He smiled at Kaito. "It's nothing to concern yourself with. Although, if you see any strange men, do let me know. Don't get involved yourself, however. I know that Genkai-shishou asked you to never use your territory again."

"All right," Kaito said, giving us a measured look, trying to gauge the seriousness of the situation. He finally let it go and walked ahead of us.

"Try," was all Kurama requested of me as we walked inside.

I brushed him off, switched my shoes, and went ahead of him to the classroom. Hopefully, no one would talk to me. Or look at me. Or call on me.

I spent most of the day ignoring the teachers, scrawling in the margins of my notebook and spacing out. A part of me knew I was being ridiculous. Really, I knew, but I also didn't care. I just wanted to go home and sleep. I wanted Kurama to stop shooting me concerned looks and glares and nitpicking me, and leave me alone.

"I'm worried," he said to me at lunch. "When you got the news that you would have to become a demon to survive here, you weren't quite so upset. What's so different?"

I gave a sharp laugh. "Nothing, Kurama. The same man is coming to kill me. Nothing's different. At least with the demon thing, I had some hope. Now I just know God hates me."

"I've told you that I wouldn't allow him to harm you, Alice," Kurama reassured me, furrowing his eyebrows.

"At what cost?" I retorted, slamming the lid back on my half-eaten bento. I glowered at him. "You think I want you lay down your life for me like some noble knight? He killed me  _in cold blood_  then - who  _knows_  anything about what he's like now!"

"I would appreciate a  _little_  more faith in my prowess –"

"I have faith, Kurama," I said, feeling my patience snap. "But I know you. I watched your fight with Karasu, and  _I didn't like it_."

His face fell slightly. "You know I was in a tight spot for only a short while –"

"Fine!" I snapped, throwing my hands in the air, "Fine! You learn how the enemy ticks by letting them beat you half to death, and then destroy them while barely making it yourself. It makes  _complete_ sense!"

"That's not fair," he told me, and I saw a glimmer of anger in his eyes. "I don't rush headlong into fights like Hiei and Yusuke do, because it's wisest to take the time needed to ascertain the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. I don't  _let them beat me half to death_ , and I very much resent you saying that. Hiei said this before, but I'll say it again –  _you are not a fighter, Alice_. Do not presume to tell me how to win my battles."

"You're right. What the hell do I know?" I muttered, snatching my bag up and stalking to the door of the rooftop.

His hand slammed it shut as soon as I twisted the knob.

"Calm down," he said, holding the door with one hand. I gave it a resentful yank, but I couldn't even get it to budge. "Alice, just calm yourself."

" _I_   _can't calm down!_ " I yelled, trying to glare, but I felt my trembling mouth betray me. "How am I supposed to be calm when Hesper Hatton is back from the dead and trying to  _kill me?_ How can I be calm and watch history repeat itself? How the  _hell_  can you stand there and tell  _me_  to be calm! How  _dare you! How dare you –"_  I was suddenly pummeling every inch of him I could reach, feeling my eyes burn, and he just stood there and took it and took it, and I just…I just -

I just broke.

"It  _isn't fair_ ," I sobbed against his chest. "It  _isn't fucking fair!_ "

"I know," he said gravely, wrapping his arms around me. "It isn't fair at all."

I cried harder; big, ugly heaving sobs that nearly tore me in half. Sobs that no guy would ever in his right mind find attractive, and I knew that I was ruining Kurama's uniform with my face, but I didn't care. I didn't care. I just wanted to cry and scream at the unjustness of it all, of how _fucking unfair_  it all was.

And Kurama just let me.

"Cry as much as you want," he said, holding me tighter. "I know you're angry. I know you're sad. But if you cry it out, maybe you'll feel better."

I don't know how long he held me.

Maybe it was just a few minutes, or it could have been hours or days or weeks, but I eventually was able to pull away from Kurama and wipe my face off. He offered me a handkerchief to finish the job. The front of his uniform was wet, but he reached for the hem, gave it a snap, and it was suddenly dry again. He must have burned it off with his youki.

"Do you want to just go home?" he asked.

I nodded. I didn't feel like sitting in class with a puffy face.

He glanced up at the sun. "I have a club meeting, but I can call Hiei over to walk you back. I'll just let them know you went home sick."

"Okay," I mumbled. "I'm going to wash my face."

He ruffled my hair and opened the door for me, letting me in the warmer school. He hung back to fetch Hiei, and I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. With any luck, the swelling would go down quickly, maybe even before Shiori got home from work and saw it. I pressed on my eyebrows and under my eyeballs, trying to drain the lymph nodes there. Maybe if I took an ibuprofen it would go down faster.

I gave up, dried my face and hands off, and left the bathroom.

Hiei was standing outside in the hallway, waiting for me. I nearly jumped with surprise, because it was so obvious that he  _didn't_  belong inside the school, and my eyes darted around to make sure the corridor was empty. Thankfully, everyone was supposed to be back in class now.

"Come," he commanded, grasping my wrist and pulling me to the stairs. "Kurama said that you had to change your shoes."

I let him tug me to the genken. I went to my locker and silently traded my school shoes for my street shoes. I pulled my messenger bag across my shoulder, and followed Hiei out of the school and onto the street. The walk back home wasn't very long, but we passed the café on they way back and I snagged his cloak to stop him.

"Can I go in here for a minute?" I asked, peering in through the window. The line wasn't very long.

He sighed. "If you must." He leaned against the brick wall by the entrance and folded his arms, watching me open the door.

"Do you want anything?"

"I don't like coffee."

"Fine," I muttered, going inside.

I stared at the menu board on the wall as I got in line, and debated on what I really wanted. I think I just wanted caffeine, and something warm, so I considered an americano, which is just espresso and hot water. But I hadn't had a vanilla latte in awhile either. Maybe a little sugar to perk me up was called for. After all, when you're sad, you should eat sweet stuff to make the sadness more bearable.

The guy in front of me turned to look out of the window, and my chest seized with shock when I saw his profile.

"Sn- _Hagiri?_ " I cried, backing away, grasping my bag's strap.

He was wearing his uniform – a deep black blazer, blue tie, and khaki pants. His bag was slung over his shoulder, and his hands were shoved in his pockets. He jumped a little when I yelped his name, and his lavender eyes went wide.

"Oh," he said, relaxing. "It's you. What are you doing here?"

"This is my neighborho –  _Hiei!_ "

Hiei materialized in front of me, smirking at Kaname, and I heard the tell-tale sign of metal sliding together as he drew his sword under his cloak. "Oh, look, it's the shooting human – come back to learn another lesson?"

Kaname's eyebrows went up. "Just getting some coffee."

"Don't pull your sword out, Hiei," I murmured, stepping behind him to whisper in his ear. "Koenma will kill you if you cause a scene."

Hiei scoffed, and I heard the hilt hit the sheath. "I thought  _he_  lived in Mushiori City."

"I do, but I go to school at Yugato High." Kaname was staring at me, probably wondering why I had such a puffy crying face.

"Thought I recognized the uniform," I muttered to Hiei.

"What are you, her keeper or something?" Kaname asked Hiei, mouth twisting in a smirk. He looked back at me. "Don't tell me you're dating this guy."

"It's none of your business," I told him flatly.

He shrugged, and stepped forward as the line moved up.

"We're leaving," Hiei commanded, catching my wrist and pulling me to the entrance.

I dug my heels in the floor. "But,  _coffee!"_

"You have it at home."

"It's not the same!" I protested. "Look, he's not doing anything, so can I just wait in line, please? You can wait outside if you want."

Hiei glared at me. "I don't like this. I don't like  _him_." He let go of my wrist though. "You have ten minutes." The door slammed shut behind him.

I got back in line behind Kaname, who looked back at me with a semblance of pity.

"Are you sure you should be dating a guy like that? Did he make you cry or something?" he asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"I'm not dating him," I answered, folding my arms. "And what do you care anyway?"

"Just guess I don't like seeing girls get pushed around – even if it's you. But it's not like I hate you or anything. We just got off on the wrong foot when we met. Although, I'm kind of annoyed that you didn't put more gas in my bike."

"Ah, so you did find it. How did you know that I drove it?"

"Girly handkerchief around my arm," he answered casually, pulling the sleeve of his blazer up to show me the inside of his wrist. The wound I left on him was jagged and bright red where my teeth cut into his skin. There was yellow and green bruising around the bite mark, which was knotted and swollen under his blotchy skin. It would probably, definitely scar.

"You pointed a gun at me," I reminded him. Which triggered a PTSD flashback of my death.

"Yeah, I did." He dropped his sleeve and shoved his hands in his pockets, slouching slightly. "Sorry about that."

I blinked in surprise at the small, but sincere apology, and swallowed a lump in my throat.

"You're not gonna cry again, are you?" Kaname's mouth went up in a smirk.

"I'm not," I insisted. "I just…there's a lot of stuff going on again. I feel like I can't catch a break."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked. He glanced at my red uniform. "Well, I guess you do have entrance exams, huh? Those are stressful."

"Yeah," I agreed, checking the line ahead of him. This was starting to weird me out a little, how we were talking so normally. I half-expected him to take a swing at me. "What year are you in?"

"My second – my third in April," he answered. So he was a junior, almost a senior – well, he  _was_  about seventeen. He gave me a curious look. "So what else is bothering you? Besides your bossy bodyguard."

"It's a long story." I watched the line move up in front of him, but his lavender eyes stayed focused on my face. "It's probably going to end up badly, and I'm probably gonna die. You know the kind of world I live in." I didn't try to force a smile, but I felt my expression lighten up. "Thank you for asking, though."

"Is it really that serious?" His eyebrows went up.

"Yeah."

"So, someone trying to end the world again, or something?"

"Not  _that_  major. Just some guy hell-bent on killing me," I said with a shrug.

"Why?" he asked.

I tossed my hands in the air, splaying my palms to the ceiling. "Who knows? I think he's probably just a serial killer who's very fixated on me. He turned up again recently, but like I said, it's a really long story."

Kaname stared at me for a moment with an unreadable expression. "That's pretty serious. But," his eyebrows lifted slightly, "you've got a good team on your side. They beat Sensui, after all."

"Can I help the next person in line?" the barista called.

Kaname glanced at her. "Medium caramel macchiato for me. What about you?" he asked me.

"Uh, no, I'll pay for myself," I told him, warily.

"Don't think I'm some guy with bad manners, princess. Come on, I'll buy your coffee to make things up to you." He waved his credit card at me. "Pick something."

"Is this a trap?"

He grinned. "Wow, you're paranoid."

The girl at the register gave a long-suffering sigh. "Miss? Could you please tell me what you want?"

I gave in. "Just a small soy vanilla latte, please."

"Just a minute," the barista said, taking the card from Kaname's hand and swiping it through the register. She handed it back to him and went to start the order at the espresso machine.

"You really didn't need to do that," I told him, putting my wallet back in my bag.

He shrugged. "I do what I want." His lavender eyes went to my bag and he held out his hand. "Gimme your phone."

I lifted my eyebrows expectantly and passed it over to him.

He fiddled around with it and pulled out his own phone, and with a beep between them both, he faced my phone to me so that I could see the screen. He had exchanged our contact information via infrared. His name, number, and email stared back at me.

"Delete it," I said flatly.

"No way," he replied, flashing a smirk at me and shoving his phone back in his school bag. He gave my phone back to me. "It's much more fun if I can annoy you through email. Besides, you might need my help or something."

Before I could vehemently deny that, the barista called our order out, and Kaname shoved my vanilla latte under my nose. I grasped it, brushing his fingers, and immediately jerked away.

"Definitely paranoid," he remarked, hiding his smirk with a sip of his coffee.

The café door was flung open, and Hiei stepped inside the doorway to give me an impatient glare. "Alice, if you're done, let's go."

I tossed Kaname a scowl and crossed the café, grabbing Hiei by his cloak to tug him outside. "I'm not thanking you!" I called over my shoulder, letting the door slam behind me. The cold air pierced through my blazer, and I moved closer to Hiei for his warmth as we made our way down the street and left the café behind.

Hiei didn't say anything for a moment. Then, eventually, "He was flirting with you."

"...How was any of that flirting?"

His stoplight red eyes cut to me. "Are you really that dense?"

I pursed my lips and raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?"

"Tch," he scoffed, irritated. His hand slipped around my wrist possessively as we walked down the street, and I let him pull me along faster.

"You're in a hurry," I remarked.

"You seem to be in a better mood," he said, retorting with a remark of his own. "Perhaps Sniper should take you home."

"And here I was thinking that you might  _not_  be a jerk today," I growled, twisting out of his grasp. "But I guess that was too much to ask for."

He caught my arm again and pulled me close to him, pausing on the street. "Stop it. You know I didn't mean it."

"Hiei," I began, working out the words, "I'm  _tired_  of this, okay? I don't want to deal with your barbs and mean words. Everything you say to me is cruel." I felt the tears I had been holding back spill over, and I knew I was being hypersensitive, because I  _knew_ he didn't mean half the shit that came out of his mouth, but it still  _hurt_. "I just don't want to fight with you," I told him, wiping my face.

His eyes narrowed, his jaw hardened, and his hand tightened painfully around my arm – but then he let go and his face relaxed. "Fine," he replied, emptily. "Let me take you back to the house, and I'll leave you alone."

"I never said to leave me alone." I grasped his wrist as we started walking again.

His mouth twisted in an unreadable expression. "You're spoiled. Sniper called you a princess – maybe there was something to that."

I gave up. Nothing nice would come out of this man's mouth. I should have known better.

Hiei apparently caught that thought. "I can't make you happy. I know that. I'm not Kurama. Maybe it's time for  _you_  to figure that out for yourself."

"Kurama doesn't make me happy either," I told him flatly. The house was around the next corner.

"He could if he wanted to."

"Maybe you could too, if you wanted to," I retorted, partly to be cruel, partly because it was true.

"You're far too optimistic," he responded, watching me jiggle my key in the front door and push it open. He swept in after me and shut it quietly. "If I could make you happy, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We wouldn't have this  _agreement_. You would be with me because you want to be, and you would be on your way to becoming a demon and going to the Makai."

I dropped my bag on the floor and kicked off my shoes, ruffling Sitka's fur as he came to greet me. He would have normally gone to greet Hiei too, but he didn't. I turned and saw the expression on Hiei's face and I figured out why.

His tone had been mild, but his face was livid.

"Is this your way of punishing me?" I asked him, quietly. "Because you think I'm making all the wrong decisions? Because maybe you finally admitted to yourself that it's  _me_  who's using  _you_? Do you think that I'm that clueless to not notice that we're fighting more and more?"

"What are you talking about? Making the  _wrong_  decisions? You're not making  _any!_ " he snapped. "You just want to cower and cry and feel sorry for yourself! I  _loathe_  this weakness in you! I  _despise_  this self-pity! And I've told you before,  _I'm using you,_ you stupid, idiotic girl!" He sneered at me. "You think you're cruel? You're far to  _weak_  to be cruel. If you can't handle me, then you certainly can't handle Hatton."

"If you hate me so much, then why are you still here?" I demanded, stripping off my blazer and throwing it on the floor. "Is it because I put  _sex_  on the table? If that's why you're still around, I have to tell you, I'm  _not_  in the mood."

"Don't be foolish." He clenched his fists again and looked away. When he looked back at me, his face was marginally softer. "I'm still here because I can't stand to see such a strong woman bend under the hands of fear and despair. Your strength was what attracted me to you in the first place. If you really let it disappear like this, I'll be quite disappointed in you."

I felt my back straighten a little, and my heart grow warm. "Oh. I see."

Hiei's mouth pulled a frown and he sighed. "Are you aware of your situation now?"

"You mean the situation where I'm cowering and pitying myself?" I asked drily. "I guess. You made it clear enough, Hiei, but I won't apologize for being scared of someone who killed me. I shouldn't have to."

"I'm not asking you to," he said shortly, crossing the foyer. His hot hands wrapped around my forearms. "I don't understand it, but I'm not asking for an apology. I just want you to find your backbone. You see,  _this_  would be the ideal time for you to become a demon."

I gave a hundred-year sigh. "I don't want to talk about that."

His stoplight red eyes narrowed. "Do you honestly think I care what you want and don't want to talk about?"

"I'm  _not_  having this conversation," I snapped.

"You  _will_  –"

"Goddamn it, Hiei! I swear to God, if you are seriously going to bring this up now, I will –"

"Don't threaten me." His tone was cold, and his hands tightened around my arms in warning. "You know how I well I respond to threats, Alice. If you want to kick your heels and behave like a spoiled brat, then that's fine. Just don't expect me to treat you like an adult."

"I'm not behaving like a spoiled brat," I told him, forcing my tone to be clear and even. I let my arms hang limply in his hands. "I'm trying to tell you something, and you  _aren't listening_. I don't want to have a conversation about becoming a demon. I have  _exams_. I'm not even sick yet.  _I'm busy_."

"Excuses," he snapped.

I felt my temper flare. "Well, sorry they're not good enough for you. I'm trying to stay human for as long as I can, okay? Does that make it clearer? I have no intention of becoming a demon until I'm good and  _sick_."

His hand slipped from my wrist and rested at the base of my skull. His thumb traced the underside of my jaw. "I don't understand this masochism," he said flatly. "Why the  _hell_  would you want to stay human?"

"It's not  _masochism_ ," I snapped, jerking my head away from his hand. He didn't allow it though, and the twist I gave to get away from him was useless. His grip tightened around me, and he pushed me against the wall. "It's not masochism. You've just  _never_  understood this, Hiei. Never."

"Maybe not," he answered scowling, boxing me in with his arms. "Maybe you've never explained it either."

I didn't like being cornered. "Let me go," I said, pushing at his arms. "I don't like being trapped here like this."

He hesitated, but finally stepped away.

I sunk down to the floor and looked up at him. His hands were loose by his sides, and his eyes bore into mine. His face was a little drawn, and I knew he felt as tired of fighting with each other as I did.

"Let's just stop fighting," I told him, bringing my knees to my chest. "I'm tired of it. I wanted us to have fun together, not be at each other's throats all the time."

"Do you think I want it to be this way?" He dropped down beside me, bending his knees and propping his arms on the loosely. "Stop acting like you're a victim. You're not – not in this relationship, not with Kurama, and certainly not with Hatton. You could be a demon if you chose, but you refuse. You make your own decisions. You're in control of your life, so just stop this pathetic self-pity. I hate it."

I sighed, dropping my forehead against my knees. Maybe,  _maybe_  Hiei was a little right. After all, my self-perception wasn't complete shit – I knew that I hadn't been taking anything well lately. Or ever. I was actually notoriously bad at taking things in general, now that I considered it.

"I'm scared," I said to my knees.

I felt his warm fingers skim my slumped shoulders. His body was suddenly pressed against mine, and his breath tickled my neck as he sighed. "You can be scared," he told me, and for some reason I felt a rush of relief, as if his permission to be scared mattered. "But don't give in and cower like a little girl. You're best at being stupidly brave."

I sniffed, trying to hold back my tears as I picked up my head and looked at him. "I'm sorry." I could feel my eyes burning and my nose was stinging, and he was just staring at me with a look of surprise. "I'm sorry I wasn't myself. I'm sorry I wasn't stronger, but I'll be better now, Hiei, I promi-"

He kissed me. Not hard, but earnestly, like he was pleased with me. His kiss was firm and stable, and I was reminded all over again that Hiei was my rock – he'd been my rock since the Dark Tournament. He may have cut me down when I wasn't just right, but he always built me back up to perfection.

His mouth made me feel alive again, and I felt the kiss change from a reaffirmation of whatever was between us, to something more needy and desperate.

His tongue slipped into my waiting mouth, and I met him with a moan. His hand traced my thigh, grasping it tightly as he deepened the kiss. I ran my hand over his body, slipping my arm under his cloak, digging under his shirt –

Hiei caught my hand suddenly, and pulled away.

I gave a growl of frustration.

He cracked an amused smirk. "We have the next two hours to ourselves. No one will be coming. It's the first time we've been alone since the Tournament."

I realized he was right. I frowned uncertainly. "Kurama will notice if we do it here."

"No matter where we fuck, he'll smell it on you for hours," he pointed out. "It doesn't matter to him anyway – he rejected you, remember?"

He was right about that too. Kurama didn't have any interest in me, and I remembered the original plan for getting with Hiei was to get  _over_  Kurama. I  _did_  feel like I was being slightly manipulated though, but at the same time – didn't I want this? Isn't this what I signed up for?

Did anything really matter?

Hiei's head dipped, and his mouth was on my neck, working the length with his hot tongue. I gave a shudder, and remembered that I had been very, very sexually frustrated for weeks now.  _That_  mattered to me.

My fingers curled in his hair. I couldn't say that carrying on with Hiei was the _best_ idea, but I was tired of being prim and proper Minamino Alice. I'm Alice Regnier, for fuck's sakes.  _I eat men for breakfast_.

"Let's go up to my room," I gasped, as his teeth sunk in my neck in a vicious love-bite.

" _Finally,"_  he growled.


	28. True Romance

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twenty-eight: True Romance**

* * *

_Open your heart and feel me,_   
_Tell me you don't feel the same._   
_I dig down deep for forgiveness,_   
_And still you're busy placing the blame._   
_This isn't about right or wrong now,_   
_It's not about wasted time._   
_I should have paid closer attention,_   
_But I didn't bother reading the signs._

_I know that you never loved me;_   
_I know that you never cared at all,_   
_No my love we can't be friends,_   
_In fact I liked you much better_   
_When you'd just pretend._

_\- She Wants Revenge_

* * *

Today's the day," Shiori said, grinning widely as she saw both Kurama and I off at the foyer. She was dressed for the day, but not for work, so I guessed she would be working from her office today. "Both of you make me so proud! I'm sure you'll both do very well on your entrance exams."

"Yep," I said, trying to ignore the fact that I was heading off with a mild fever. I had taken an ibuprofen, hoping it would  _desist_ , but it was very persistent. Luckily, Shiori hadn't noticed it. Kurama would, no doubt, but I'm sure he had something for me to take in mind. Hiei had tried to warn me that I was studying too hard.

"Of course, Mother." Kurama smiled warmly at her. "We'll see you later."

Shiori caught my hand, obviously sensing something off about me. "Now don't be nervous, dear. I'm not remotely worried about either of you – you're both in the top ten of your class. At Meiou that's quite an accomplishment! My, your hand seems quite warm, Alice-chan."

I quickly snatched my hand out of hers with a winning smile. "I just washed my hands in some hot water. Well, see you later, Shiori-san!" I turned and pushed the front door open. "We'll do our best!" I called over my shoulder, darting out into the orange and pink morning.

Kurama caught up with me a minute later. His hand was immediately on my forehead, and a frown on his face. "You won't test well with a fever."

"Shows what you know, Mr. Frown Town."

The corners of his mouth hooked up in an unwilling grin before sobering. "Did you take something?"

"I took 400 milligrams of ibuprofen an hour ago," I muttered. "Didn't work." I looked at him expectantly, waiting. "Well? Aren't you going to whip out a fever-reducing plant in the nick of time?"

His eyebrows went up. "Oh? I thought I didn't know about you managing the hardest test in the prefecture with a fever. Are you saying you can't do it?"

" _Kurama,"_  I whined, dragging my feet.

"Yes?"

" _Seriously?"_

His expression was as innocent as a lamb's. "Seriously what?"

I heaved a huge sigh and stopped in front of him, looking up at him with big, huge, poor-Alice eyes, and jabbed my chin against the hollow of his right collarbone. "Will you please give me something for my fever?"

His hand came up again, touching my face in different places. The backs of his fingers brushed over my forehead, the bridge of my nose, and my cheekbone. "You are quite warm. Are you sleepy and cold?"

I nodded; chin still jutting into the front of his shoulder. My eyelids did feel very heavy, and I was wearing my coat over my blazer, but it wasn't enough.

"Well, sadly, I don't really have anything that could help you. If I gave you the blue wildbark, which is the only thing I have on me, you would be so completely stoned out of your mind that going to the test would be pointless." He pursed his lips as another idea came over his angular face. "I could give you some of my energy though."

I blinked at him. "You would do that?"

He gave a small laugh. "It's not like I'm giving you a kidney – my body will make more."

I furrowed my eyebrows skeptically at him. "I'm pretty sure that  _your_  kidneys would grow back."

Now he  _really_  laughed. "Is that so? You know you say the funniest things when you have a fever. Now, come here." His hand slipped under my scarf and loosened it, pulling it away from my neck. "I'll need your jugular – don't worry, I won't bite." His head dipped, and I felt his breath against my throat.

"W-Wait, what are you doing exactly?" I squirmed away from his face, bringing my shoulder up to block him.

He pulled back, amused. "I'm going to kiss you, right  _there_." I felt his fingertip press on the side of my neck where my pulse lay. "The main veins are excellent ports for energy exchanges, and a kiss is a quick and efficient way to direct it. You should feel better almost instantly. Now, hold still."

I obeyed like a good sick girl, and I felt his warm mouth press against my skin. A ripple went through me, one of pleasure, warmth, and the tingling of his spirit energy, which rushed along my veins to my heart. My heart felt like it grew, and it sent his energy through my arteries, organs, and extremities. I immediately felt warmer and more grounded. I felt much more  _awake_ , as if I had just had a double-shot of espresso.

 _A caffeine kiss_.

His hand was gentle, balanced on my shoulder, his thumb brushing against my jaw. He pulled away after a second and straightened, rearranging my scarf around my neck with an affectionate smile. "Better?" he asked, his hands going into his pockets.

"A lot better," I answered, knowing that I was completely blushing. "Thank you."

His smile widened into something slightly grim. "Best not to tell Hiei."

"Tell me what?"

I turned and found Hiei standing behind us, giving us a furrowed frown over his white scarf. His stoplight red eyes narrowed on my face, and switched to Kurama. The sun was rising behind him, and it nearly cast him as a silhouette, but his eyes remained bright and suspicious against his shadowed face.

I didn't really feel the need to lie to him. Hiei wasn't my boyfriend, no matter how far we had gone, and he knew that, but it still wasn't fair to keep him in the dark. He may not have been my boyfriend, but I still counted him as a friend and comrade, and I wasn't willing to let him think that I was going to start keeping stupid secrets from him. Besides, I needed his strength to keep me safe from Hatton.

I sent Kurama an apologetic look. "Well, I have – had, I guess – a fever," I said to Hiei, as he moved closer to me. "Kurama gave me some of his energy to help it go down."

Hiei's eyebrow went up. "And you thought you had to keep that from me, Kurama? You heal her all the time. Don't tell me that you think I would care that you kissed her." His mouth twisted in a smirk as Kurama's green eyes widened. "You overestimate my jealousy. I'm not that possessive of her."

Hiei was testing us both that time.

Although, it did bring to mind the question of  _why_  Kurama kissed my neck as tenderly as he did. Hiei had obviously seen it, and he probably noticed that it was not very clinical at all. Even I could tell that much about it. Maybe Kurama  _did_  have feelings for me?

Nah, better not go down that road – it defeats the purpose of trying to get over him.

"I was only attempting to be considerate of your…relationship," Kurama said kindly, but there was an edge of disapproval to his tone. "Perhaps I misread it?" His large green eyes swept to me, but I couldn't quite read his expression. I  _did_  feel like I was being thoroughly judged though.

"I'm not aware of what you think of our relationship, Kurama." Hiei's smirk turned amused. "And I don't really care."

Kurama looked slightly offended, but then he smiled. "Oh, so you  _are_  angry, Hiei."

"If I dislike the fact that you toy with her feelings for you, fox, then yes, I suppose I could be called slightly angry," Hiei retorted, and his bandaged hand went around my wrist. He turned, and pulled me along with him, so that we could start heading to my exams.

"But that's not all you're angry about, is it?" Kurama teased, but there was a definite note of irritation in his voice.

Hiei's shoulders stiffened, but he tugged me along without otherwise acknowledging Kurama had even said anything.

I looked back at Kurama, curious and slightly lost, but he only waved at me with a jaded smile.

"Hiei?" I asked, turning back to the tense fire demon. " _Are_  you jealous?"

"Don't ask stupid questions," he snapped, refusing to look at me.

I knew he wouldn't admit it if he was, but from the stiff line of his shoulders and the way he clenched his jaw, I think he definitely suffered from the green-eyed monster.

"I don't think Kurama  _intended_  to play with my feelings," I muttered.

Hiei let out a harsh laugh. "Take off those rose-colored glasses, you foolish girl. The fox has it out for you. Probably from the moment your lips met mine."

I stared at him, shocked. "What?"

"You remember what he said to you after my fight with Bui. He called you cruel and heartless, or something to that effect, to make you turn away from me. He doesn't like us together – not the way we are." His grasp tightened around my arm slightly. "He should mind his own business."

"I agree," I said, "but is he really trying to manipulate us into breaking up? Like, I get his concern, but this is just too…domineering."

"Kurama is self-righteous. He thinks he knows best because he is as old as graveyard dirt, and he sees problems where there are none so that he can be  _needed_. All old men need to be needed," Hiei grumbled. "That kiss was meant to punish you, to make you think there was a chance he actually wants you, and not telling me about it was supposed to drive a wedge between us. Never forget his cleverness or his cruelty, Alice. You seem to forget the latter most."

"Do I?" I wondered. Kurama had only ever shown me kindness. Well, for the most part.

Hiei gave me a hard look. "With demons, there's always an ulterior motive – no matter how close you are to them. Especially if that demon is Youko Kurama. Keep your guard up around him."

I decided to heed his warning, since Hiei had never steered me wrong.

"What about you?" I teased, as we turned down the road to the train station. "What do you want from me?"

Hiei turned to look at me, ignoring the stares the humans rushing around were giving his cloak and strange clothes. I thought he might tease me back, saying something like  _I want your body_ , but he only continued to look at me for a moment too long. I realized he was debating on what to say.

I gave him an out. "You don't have to answer, Hiei. I was only teasing you."

"Hn, you should get on the train. I'll follow outside of it."

"You could ride with me," I suggested, digging in my bag for my pass. "I have some change for another ticket."

"No. I dislike enclosed spaces – especially ones full of humans."

 _You and me both, kid_. I shrugged and smiled at him. "All right, I'll see you in Niiza then." He let go of my arm and I went into the station, swiping my pass, and went out onto the platform.

The train came quickly, and I checked my watch to make sure I was still all right on time. Niiza was only the next town over, only two miles away, but it still took thirty minutes to get there by train because it had to make about two stops before it arrived. Walking would take about the same amount of time, which is why I didn't bother with it.  _I should get a bicycle if I go to Niiza,_  I thought.

I pulled out a textbook from my bag and hung on to a handrail as the train began to fill. It wasn't long, and the car was full of people. A businesswoman gave me a curious look as she saw my uniform and textbook. "Entrance exams?" she asked.

I nodded.

Her smile was full of pity. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

I finally got to Niiza's train station, and Hiei met me as soon as I walked out.

"How much further?"

"Only about a two-minute walk," I answered, frowning and thumbing through the pages. The kanji was blurry again. Maybe I needed glasses. I closed the book and stuffed it back in my bag. "What will you do while I'm testing?"

"My sword needs sharpening, I suppose," he answered absently.

The large academy came into view, and I stopped at the gates to smile at him. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it." His tone was blunt and honest. "You've been studying for weeks."

Maybe he was right. I could hope for the best. "All right then. I'll see you when I get out."

There was a strange pause in the air. "Your question," he said, looking away uncomfortably, "I'll answer it when you finish."

_What do you want from me?_

That question?

"Okay," I said, confused.

He disappeared, and I went into the school, looking for the exam room. A teacher directed me and I found a huge hall buzzing with at least two hundred students. This wasn't even the first testing date for Niiza, but I guess with it being the number one school in the prefecture, it  _was_  popular.

I waited with the others for five minutes, looking around for people I might have known. I caught sight of Kaito Yuu, and quickly bounded over towards him. "Hey, Kaito! I didn't know you were applying here!"

He looked up from where he was hunched over the table. "Oh, hello, Alice. I heard  _you_  were applying from Shuichi, but it surprised me that he didn't apply here too."

I rolled my eyes, pulling out the chair beside him, and sitting down. "Kurama is tired of school. Wants to  _work_ , he says. He's an idiot. I don't think he's ever had a  _real_  job before."

"Strange, but," he sighed, "I guess since he's Shuichi, he knows what he wants. Is he applying anywhere?"

"Yabe," I answered. "It's a preparatory school for the business world in Asaka. I think he would do better here, honestly. He bests us all in science."

"Why are you applying?" He adjusted his glasses as he gave me a curious look. "You have top-notch grades, but you're only about third or fourth in our year. I thought you said something about an art school at one point."

I shrugged. "Mostly to see if I can get in, I guess. What about you?"

Kaito smirked. "Same."

I laughed. "Oh, guess who I saw the other day in a café -  _Sniper_."

His eyes widened. "Was everything all right?"

"Yeah, it was weird. He was kind of nice and even paid for my coffee. I think he felt bad about everything that happened – he didn't really admit it, but maybe he wasn't exactly himself."

"Mitarai wasn't either."

"I guess you're right." I folded my hands and stretched my arms. "Have you seen any of them around town? What about Kido? Is he okay? I never heard any news after Genkai healed him."

"Oh, he's fine. He's in physical therapy, but he'll be able to walk again. Yana and I have been keeping an eye on him…" Kaito trailed off and I saw him looking over my shoulder with a mutinous expression. "Why is  _he_  here?"

I turned and saw Tasaka Kenta, talking to one of his cronies. "Great. He's not a half-bad student. I forgot."

Tasaka was actually also in the top ten of our school too. I think he ranked somewhere around eighth or ninth, but he was probably capable of getting into Niiza Science Academy. I was so not interested in going to this school if he was going to be here. But then again…he might fail the test. I'd have to see how he did afterward.

His friend nudged him and pointed at us. Tasaka looked our way and sneered.

I gave him the finger and a bored look.

The door closed with a heavy thud and proctors rushed in ordering everyone to sit down and shut up. They passed out the sealed exams and number two pencils. With a small speech and some instructions about not cheating, the test commenced.

Kaito and I exchanged a look and a nod.

Then we broke our seals and began.

The test was long, arduous, complicated, and  _hard_. Like,  _really, really_ hard. There was a reason it was infamous for being the hardest and most grueling test in the prefecture. I was so glad that I had thought to study ahead to college-level biology and chemistry. Algebra and calculus were also really big on the test. History wasn't so prevalent, but the questions and the essay it required involved a lot of critical thinking. Literature was like history, short but sweet. There were probably at least four essay questions, and I wrote as clearly and concisely as I could.

It took four hours of my life that I would never get back.

Kaito and I handed our tests in at the same time, and saw that Tasaka's spot was empty. His friend was still sitting at the table, looking like he was trying not to cry. I didn't blame him. I decided that I should go home and reward myself with candy for getting through it.

I thought I did pretty well. I only guessed on maybe twenty questions out of the whole test.

"How did you do?" I asked Kaito as we stepped out of the hall.

"I passed, of course. You?"

"I'm sure I passed too. Maybe I even did a good job," I answered with a grin.

"You better have passed Minamino, otherwise it'd look awfully bad if I passed and you didn't," Tasaka said, launching himself from the wall by the door. He was apparently waiting for his friend. He gave me a cocky little grin. "Where's that stupid brother of yours? Number one in Meiou too scared to try?"

"He knew  _you_  were here," I said snidely. "You know he can't stand you. I can't stand you either, come to think of it. Pray tell,  _why_  are you talking to me?"

"Because I know you hate it," he answered with another sneer. "Too bad your face healed up. I think that bruise would have done you some favors. Maybe Shuichi would have made out with you like you  _so obviously_  want him to."

"You're such a creep. But thanks for reminding me that I still have to knock your teeth out of your head. Come find me when we're not in a school, okay? I have a knuckle sandwich with your name on it." I smiled. "Oh, by the way, Kitajima is  _totally_  head over heels for her boyfriend. He's a total cutie too – she showed me his picture. She's going to his high school."

That pissed him off. "And why the  _hell_  should I care?"

"It's just  _so obvious_  you want to make out with her," I mocked him. "See ya, shit-for-brains."

With that, I caught Kaito's sleeve and pulled him out of the school. I heard Tasaka give an indignant yell behind us, but we were too far away to hear what he said. It didn't really matter though, because I got the last word.

"Are all girls like you?" Kaito asked, taking his arm away from my hand warily.

"Only the best ones." I grinned at him.

"That's terrifying," he said bluntly. "Anyway, see you at school."

"Bye," I said, watching him go ahead of me from the gates. I looked around for Hiei, and spotted him leaping off of the roof of the school to drop to the ground below. If I hadn't been looking for him, I wouldn't have seen him. "Hi," I said as he came up to me.

His stoplight red eyes looked me over. "If you're done, then let's go. But I'll take you myself. Forget the train."

"We can walk back," I offered, slipping my hand in his. His hand was warm and pleasant against the chill of the wintery air, and the bandages were scratchy against my skin. He squeezed and we started down the road that would lead us back to Asaka.

We walked silently down the street, and turned to head east. The sun was warm and bright, even though the air was freezing, but it and my coat and Hiei's hand kept me warm. He was a quiet guy, but he was actually being rather oddly quiet. I started telling him about the test and Kaito to fill up the empty air, because it made me nervous. I didn't mention Tasaka. I don't know why.

After a mile, Hiei finally spoke. "You asked me a question."

"I was joking. You don't have to answer."

"I will because I want to. You should know what I want from you. Tch, maybe you already do," Hiei said, gazing at me. His face was slightly hard, but he looked a little amused. "You always seem to know what I'm thinking. It's uncanny. I'm not that easy to read."

"No," I agreed. "I just know you well enough."

He smiled. It was small, but it was a definite warm smile. It suited him. "I want everything from you. Not just your body, although I definitely like having that, but I want the rest of you too. I want your thoughts, and your feelings, and your soul. I want all of you to be mine."

"You want me to be your girlfriend," I said dumbly. Hiei was confessing to me. Was this real life?

"Even more than that, you foolish girl."

_Is this a marriage proposal?_

Hiei wasn't even blushing. "I want you to become a demon and return to the Makai with me. I won't be in the human world forever. I have to go back someday, and I would rather have you at my side and in my bed."

"I…I can't…I have a  _life_  here," I told him, still dumbfounded. "I like you, but Hiei, you're asking a lot of me. You're asking for something I can't give you. I can't…I can't do that. That's why we have this agreement. There wasn't supposed to be love involved in this."

There was zero surprise on his face – only a resigned smile. "I'm not asking. I won't say this again. But you should know where you stand with me. That's all."

I felt a heaviness in my heart. "Are we over?"

His hand went around the back of my head, and he pressed his warm mouth against mine. I opened up, reciprocating, and the kiss deepened. His tongue slipped in my mouth and I met him with a moan. I felt his love for me in that kiss. Feelings he would never admit to dropped into my mouth with his tongue, and they tasted as pure as fresh snow. He broke away, and his resign seemed to deepen. "We're not over. We never began."

I think my heart broke at that moment. I found myself wishing that I could be the woman he wanted me to be. The woman I could be. But when I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him to reconsider, all that came out was, "I'm sorry."

His hand dropped to his side. His face was stone. "I'll take you back. Come on."

The last mile was long and lonely.

* * *

Shizuru, bless her, gave me all of the alcohol. All of it.

"I love you," I told her, watching her pour wine into my glass. "You are a blessing. Seriously, how would I live without you?"

"You would be sober."

"Fuck that royally." I downed half the glass in one go.

"Do you wanna talk about what happened?" she asked. Beside her, Botan leaned forward eagerly, her mouth in a slight frown.

"I think I was dumped. I'm pretty sure Hiei just dumped me. I didn't wanna be dumped, but I'm seriously dumped. Who the fuck dumps a girl like me? Especially with  _my_  blowjobs. Like, he  _loves_  me or something and he's like  _we never started, but we're totally over_ and I'm so fucking confused. And drunk. More wine, best friend. You are a goddess."

"So wait, wait – you're sad that Hiei dumped you? But you said you didn't love him!" Botan exclaimed, confused. Her face was almost as red as the cabernet sauvignon. "I'm very confused right now, Alice."

"I – I  _might_  have loved him. A little. I don't know. But pride, too, Botan!  _Pride!_ " I slapped my hand on the table. "I am a  _lioness, goddamn it!_  Who  _dumps_  me?  _Seriously!"_  I drank my entire glass and held it out to Shizuru. "Kurama is going to throw a fucking party. You know what Hiei told me – you wanna  _know?_ "

"What is it?" Botan asked, gripping Shizuru's shoulder with suspense. Her eyes were huge and glassy.

"He has it out for me! Hiei says he's basically gonna punish me until I break –  _broke up_  with Hiei! Like,  _who is that controlling?_ What in the actual fuck, am I right?" I growled.

Shizuru frowned. "He has it out for you? Is he jealous of you because you were with Hiei? I sort of figured he could swing both ways…"

"No, well, I don't know – maybe. But it's because he didn't approve of our not-relationship. Like, who fucking asked him?  _I_  didn't! Kurama thinks he knows best like some goddamned old-tits nun, but he  _doesn't_ , because he don't run my fucking life, okay?  _Okay?_  Like, get the fuck out. What is his  _problem?_ " I sipped my wine angrily after Shizuru refilled it for me. "He's  _always, always_  in my business! Who I sleep with is none of his business – even if it is his best friend! It's not like  _we_  ever dated – Kurama and I, I mean. We didn't date. We have no romantic relationship. Because he's a dick."

"Alice, don't you think you were sort of  _subconsciously_  trying to get back at Kurama by going with Hiei?" Shizuru asked, looking at me from over a smoking cigarette.

Botan gave a sharp inhale, and her pink eyes bore into me.

"Maybe," I admitted, gulping more wine. " _It didn't work, obviously_. But it was still sort of satisfying. Hiei is a really attentive man…if you know what I mean."

"Details," Botan demanded, slapping her hands on the table.

I felt my face go red from wine and embarrassment. "Okay, okay. His cock is a beautiful instrument of divine torture, and his mouth…just…oh my God. I don't think I've ever had such an intense orgasm before from cunnilingus. Like. Ever. He knows what he's doing." I gave a sad moan and dropped my head on the kotatsu. "And I'll  _never_  have it again. God, what have I done to myself? I totally ruined  _everything_."

"It's okay," Botan said, giving my shoulder a sympathetic pat. "You'll definitely find someone else. And if not, you can completely forget about the living world, turn demon, and go to Hiei. If he really loves you, he'll take you back."

"Don't say  _that_ , Botan. I don't agree with Kurama's methods, at all, but I think he had a point. If they were meant to be together, then she would love Hiei so much that she wouldn't  _have_  to think about dropping everything to go off with him. She would do it because she wanted to."

"And I  _don't_  want to. I just want his body. His sexy, sexy body." I rubbed my cheek on the table. "What am I gonna do now? He's ruined every man I'll ever have for me." I sniffed. "I think I'm gonna cry, you guys."

"It  _is_  pretty tragic," Shizuru agreed. "Sakyo was like that too. But I know I'll find someone else. I feel it in my bones. So will you, Alice."

"Mm." Shizuru never talked about Sakyo. "I know you miss him. Do you have anyone you're looking into?" I wondered, picking up my face and squinting at her. "I want you to be happy. If there's someone, tell us. Botan and I will interview him."

"It's not a job, Alice," Botan scolded, finishing her glass. She didn't wait for anyone and poured herself some more. "A life partner and true love takes some work, but it's  _definitely_  not a job."

"You're  _so_  romantic, Botan."

"And  _you're_  jaded," she retorted, pushing the wine bottle to me. It was almost gone. It was the second bottle we had split between us. "But you don't here me complaining about  _you_."

"There isn't anyone yet," Shizuru answered, puffing on the cigarette. "But there will be. For you too, Alice. Next month maybe for you…a little longer for me I think. Spring, probably."

I squirmed in my seat. I loved her predictions. "Yay. I hope he'll be good."

Shizuru smiled. "He'll be really good to you. But you'll probably hurt him."

"I always seem to be the one doing the hurting."

"That's because you're a bitch," Shizuru and Botan said together. They exchanged grins and clinked their wineglasses together.

"Thank you, I didn't know," I retorted, with a glare.

"What are best friends for?" Botan asked breezily.

"Wine," I told her, holding out my empty glass.

"Definitely wine," Shizuru agreed, opening another bottle.

* * *

I was singing.

" _Pour my beer down the sink, I got more in the trunk! Fuck you, I'm drunk! Fuck you, I'm drunk - and I'm going to be drunk til the next time I'm drunk!_ "

"Shush," Kurama shushed, placing a hand over my mouth and pulling me along. "They may not be able to understand what you're saying, but you'll still attract the attention of the neighbors. The last thing we need is a citation for underage drinking."

"I'm  _twenty-nine_."

"You're fifteen," Kurama said firmly. He flinched when I stuck my icy nose in his neck. "Stop that."

"You are dull, boring, and I'd rather watch paint dry than walk with you any more," I grumbled, trying to twist my arm away from him. "You never have fun, Kurama. Fun is allowed you know. Oh, but no, you'd rather have fun screwing with my sex life.  _There's_ your fun.  _Ruining the fun_."

"How much did you drink?" he sighed.

"Enough to forget that Hiei dumped me. Oh, wait, I remembered again. Son of a bitch."

His eyebrows went up. "Hiei broke up with you?"

"Don't act so fucking surprised. You wanted it. You win. Like always."

He didn't deny that he wanted it to happen. "I'm sorry if you feel hurt, Alice."

"No, you're not. You  _wanted_  to punish me because I'm a cruel, heartless woman, and I took advantage of poor, defenseless Hiei. Never mind me and my feelings. Never mind my needs. Never mind that I  _like_  him. And his  _amazing_  mouth."

Kurama flinched again, even though I didn't put any of my cold extremities in his neck. "I don't need the details. But I truly am sorry if you are hurt at all. I didn't want anyone to suffer, which is why I warned you off each other in the first place."

"A warning is fine. But you had  _no right_  to  _manipulate_  us against each other, you son of a bitch. I'll  _never_  forgive you for that." I felt my eyes burning with tears as I glowered at him, and sniffed. "How  _dare_  you. Just…how dare you. Fuck you. Let go of me."

Kurama didn't let go of me, because he didn't understand  _boundaries_. He held me tight against him, and I tried to twist away and jerk out of his grasp, but he was way too strong. I stood ramrod straight instead, waiting for him to give up. He didn't. We must have stood there looking like fucking morons for like five minutes.

"You're smothering me."

"You've said that before."

"I'm saying it again – don't you notice a pattern here?" I snapped at him, suddenly giving a wild jerk that  _nearly_  won me my freedom. "I. Don't. Want. You. To. Touch. Me."

He gave a defeated sigh. "Yes, you do, Alice. I know you crave my touch more than anyone else's. I hear your heart speed up every time I come too close to you," he murmured against my ear. "It's racing now."

Fuck. It was.

I ignored my thumping heart. "And you don't want me. Why are you still touching me?"

"I want your body," he answered. "But I don't love you."

I swallowed. "Are you sure about that? You didn't feel a stitch of envy for Hiei?"

His fingertips traced the hem of my shirt underneath my coat, and he inhaled. I realized he was sniffing me. "Maybe," he answered ambiguously. He gave a long sigh, exhaling warm, damp air on my neck. "I know I can't have you. It's something that won't end well." He pulled away, and grasped my hand to lead me home.

"Are you comparing me and Kitajima together?"

He stopped. He shot me a look of surprise over his shoulder. "What makes you think that?"

I raised an eyebrow at him and gave a flamboyant wave of my hand. "Do I  _look_  like an inexperienced maiden to you, good sir? I've fallen in and out of love  _more times_  than I can count. The feeling of falling in love is the same, but it's a different experience every time.  _Sometimes_  you just wake up and realize you're in too deep. Other times you wake up and notice that you  _hate_ the person you're with. I've had both. Surely, Kitajima isn't the first girl you've ever fallen for."

Kurama didn't answer.

"You're not serious. You're thousands of years old and she's the  _first_  girl you've ever  _loved?_ " My jaw dropped open. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Shizuru this."

"In my defense, I was busy building an empire. I didn't have a lot of time for the opposite sex, apart from the obvious one-night stands, or series of loveless relationships. A real relationship would have taken more effort than I cared to give, and I never deemed love important enough until this lifetime, where now it's far too dangerous for that sort of thing. That's why I never dated her."

My mouth opened and closed uselessly. I squeezed his hand. "Kurama, that's a Shakespearean tragedy. Seriously, that is a level of irony beyond cruel."

"It is, but I deserve it. I was a quite bastard in my last life." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was still amused. At least he could laugh at his misfortune.

"Is this why I can't have a boyfriend? Because you're jealous of my happiness?" I was half-joking, but all jokes are half-meant, and I was drunk.

His hand went around my chin to turn my face up. His mouth was in a line, but his face was the most honest I'd ever seen it. "Alice, if you had truly loved Hiei, I would have been happy for the both of you. I would not have interfered. I would have helped your relationship in any way I could have. But you don't love him, and he loves you, and I won't allow you to hurt him. Hiei puts on a tough face, and he's quite tough inside too, but he still has the heart of a child. You, on the other hand, have a succubus where your heart should be."

I screwed my face up at him. "You're still a bastard."

He chuckled and dropped my face. "I know."

"What if I do find a boyfriend? Will you be happy for me?" I asked as we started to walk again, thinking back to Shizuru's prediction. A month didn't seem a very long time to wait.

Kurama made a thoughtful  _hm_. "If he's good to you, I won't interfere."

"But you won't be happy."

"My life is a Shakespearean tragedy, remember?" he joked, large green eyes sliding to my face. "I can never be happy. Content, maybe. But happiness is a little out of my reach."

"Seriously, you're depressing. Have you tried drinking?"

He laughed. "I don't think that's the best advice. Have you tried sobriety?"

"Yes," I answered, wrinkling my nose, "and it's intolerable, especially with you around."

"You drink too much," he said. "You're not twenty-nine, Alice, no matter what you think. Your body is fifteen. You're not even done growing. You need to slow down."

I sent a big, ginormous exaggerated sigh his way. "When I want your advice, I'll ask for it,  _Dad_."

"Are you still in love with me?" he asked suddenly.

I was still drunk, but a sobering part of my mind noticed this as a tactic to surprise the truth out of me. I mulled the question over, stupefied that I needed to. "Yes," I answered finally. "But I think it's less than it used to be."

And somewhere a part of me noticed something strange. I was pretty sure I was still in love with him…but I  _loved_  him as a person a little less. Maybe I was just angrier than I thought. Maybe I had started to fall in love with Hiei. Maybe I was protecting myself.

Maybe I was just drunk.

"You're less in love with me? Is that normal?"

"Maybe it means I'm falling out of love with you. Maybe it means I'll run away from you and go to Puerto Rico, you know, where I'll meet a  _nice_  guy. By next month."

He raised an eyebrow. "Next month?"

"Shizuru said so."

His brow furrowed and his head tilted. "She said you would go to Puerto Rico and meet a guy next month?"

"You're not even trying to listen to me, are you? You know what? I'm just done. I'm done talking to you." I dropped his hand. I didn't even realize we were holding hands. We were almost to the house, but it was dark inside. Shiori must have been off at Katsuya's again. I jiggled my key in the lock and flung the door open.

Sitka lunged at me, and I caught him and we rolled around on the foyer and cuddled. "You're my favoritest, bestest puppy dog in the  _whole world_ ," I told him, rubbing my face in his thick fur. Mm, he was so soft! He gave my face a huge lick.

 _Love you, love you too!_  he said. He sniffed at me.  _You smell funny_.

"Do not," I protested, collapsing on the floor. I was at the dead stage of drunk. Passing out was next.

Kurama closed the door, locking it behind him. "Do you need help taking your coat off?"

I flung my arm uselessly in his direction. Or the air. Whatever. "Eh."

Kurama took it as a yes and pulled me up to sit. He hesitated a moment before deftly unbuttoning my coat and pushing it off my shoulders. My scarf was removed, and he hung them on the hooks next to the door. He pulled off his own coat and hung it up with mine. I stared at him blearily, propping my elbow on my knee, while Sitka scratched himself beside me.

"Can you get up?" he asked.

"Yeah," I muttered, getting up to my feet unsteadily. I grabbed the banister and started climbing up the stairs. Kurama followed me closely, hands hovering around me to catch me in case I fell over or tripped.

Sitka suddenly charged up behind us, eager to get to my room, and knocked me sideways. Kurama caught me as I fell into his chest, awkwardly, with one hand over my breast.

He didn't move, but I think he stopped breathing for a minute.

I turned and looked up at him innocently. "Sitka said I smelled funny. Do I? You'd tell me, right?"

He swallowed. "Bend your head," he ordered.

I bared my neck to him, and he bent and pressed his nose against my skin. It tickled, and I squirmed a little, but his arms were like steel around me. "Anything?" I asked him, feigning wobbliness to jut my hips against his. I could feel his hard erection. Yep, definitely something.

"It's the wine," he told me. He didn't even bother to hide his arousal. His green eyes looked dark and tired, and I felt a little guilty. "You're drunk," he sighed. He repeated himself. "You're drunk."

"I'm sobering up," I insisted.

"I don't believe you. Up, come on. Up to your room."

"Can I take you with me?" I teased.

"No, you cannot, you vile temptress. I will not sleep with you when you're drunk. I'm not  _that_  cruel," he stated shortly, giving me a push up the stairs. "Go to your room and get ready for bed."

I grudgingly went up to the landing, sailing lightly on the balls of my feet, twirling around when I reached the landing. "Look at me, look how sober I –  _ack!_  Ow." I had spun right into the banister.

Kurama hid a smile. "You're not helping your cause at all."

"I don't need you to tell me that." I rubbed my leg where I had banged into the wood. "It would just be so much easier if you weren't pretending to be so noble."

"If you know I'm not a noble man, then you should quit while you're ahead. You'll only hurt yourself in the long run." His hand went up and scratched his head irritably. He glared at me. "Take yourself into consideration. You know that this will never work. I've told you all of this before."

I sighed. "You're hopeless. I never pegged you for a coward."

"I never pegged you for a silly lovesick girl, but here we are."

I laughed at him, gripping the banister when I felt myself sway. "Is that supposed to  _hurt_  me? After seven years, don't you think I know all of your mind games by now? How stupid do you think I am? I don't matter to you at all, do I?" I realized it, just as I said it, and I knew the hurt showed on my face. I figured it out as I went along, pointing an accusing finger at him. "If you think you can just run my life for me, I couldn't matter to you at all, right? You don't respect me enough to let me make my own decisions. You only want to control me so that I don't rock your perfect little boat –"

"It not like that," he insisted, frowning.

I glared at him. "It  _is_  like that! It's always been like that! It's all it's ever been. You can't deny that." I sniffed. "How could I love someone like you?"

"Alice, you know I care about you," he said calmly, climbing up the stairs. "I may have overstepped some boundaries, but it's only because I  _care_."

"Ah, that's right. That ever-present, ever-patient  _I-care-about-you_  attitude. You think you can do and say whatever you want to me, because  _you care_." I scowled at him. "You know  _nothing_ about caring about someone else, Kurama. Nothing. All you know how to do is control and manipulate other people. I'm tired of it. I'm going to bed."

I left him standing speechless on the landing, and I slammed my door shut.

* * *

I didn't see Hiei for a week. I never realized how much I depended on his camaraderie until I had to spend more and more of my time with Kurama, who I hardly spoke to. And whenever I went out of the house, I tried to rope in either Yusuke or Kuwabara into babysitting me, but Kuwabara was busy and Yusuke was grumpy.

I finished the rest of my entrance exams and stayed in the house, bored out of my mind. I wanted to go and run, but that was a  _by-myself_  thing, and I didn't want anyone trailing me or talking to me.

Shiori noticed how glum I had been. She sat beside me one day while I absently plunked the keys on the piano.

"Are you all right dear? It seems like you've been depressed over the last few days. Are you and Shuichi fighting again?" she asked knowingly, her eyes falling on Kurama bent over a book on the couch.

He looked up at his name. "Sorry?" he asked, pretending he hadn't heard.

"I asked if you two were fighting again," Shiori said, catching my hand to stop me from hitting the same key over and over again. "Usually both of you are more talkative."

"We're not fighting, Mother," Kurama said, with a reassuring smile.

I sold him out. "Shuichi-kun is bossy. And nosy."

Kurama's jaw dropped open and Shiori's eyebrows went up.

I gave Kurama the dirtiest look I could muster. He was  _so_  concerned about me rocking the boat, because I was a wildcard to him or something, so I decided to  _give_  him something to be concerned about. I would turn his fucking boat over.

His jaw clenched, and I saw his carefully reigned in anger. He hated me undermining him in front of Shiori.

Shiori was a fair woman though. "And you, Shuichi, dear? What's your side of the story?"

"I was simply concerned for my sister, Mother." Kurama smiled serenely. "She and her boyfriend broke up."

I slammed my hands down on the piano, and it blared out my rage in a messy D sharp. "He was  _not_  my boyfriend! You have  _no_  idea what was going on, and you just stuck your nose in it, like always, because you  _can't_  leave me alone! It's  _not hard!_  All you have to do is mind your own business! We were fine until  _you_  interfered!"

"You had a boyfriend, Alice-chan?"

I stopped and looked at Shiori guiltily. "Not…really. We were talking about dating."

"I see," she said, folding her hands in her lap. Her eyes swept over me, and she frowned. "I wish you would have told me there was a boy you liked. I don't mind if you date, but I'd like to know the young man."

I imagined introducing Hiei to Shiori and forced myself not to cringe. "Okay," I said, looking back down at the piano.

She continued. "It sounds to me like Shuichi was just trying to protect you, Alice-chan. Perhaps he didn't think that you and the boy were a very good match?"

"They weren't a very good match," Kurama agreed, closing his book and straightening, propping his elbows on the arm of the couch to look at us. "He liked her more than she liked him."

"And perhaps Alice-chan didn't appreciate you getting involved, Shuichi, dear?" Shiori suggested, glancing at him.

Kurama sighed. "No, I suppose not. I apologize again, Alice. I'm quite sorry about everything."

 _You son-of-a-bitch_ , I thought at him, pasting a sweet smile on my face.  _You apologized to me in front of your mother so I would have to accept it. I'll fucking kill you in your sleep._

"Okay, I understand," I said simply, turning back to the piano. I started playing  _The Rains of Castamere_. No one else got it but me, since I was the only one to ever really watch  _Game of Thrones_ , but it made me feel slightly better. It was a gentle, soft song too, so it sounded to both of them like I  _wasn't_  angry anymore.

My resolve to flip the boat hardened.

And he called me his  _sister_.

He had a boner for me a week ago, and he had the nerve to call me his fucking  _sister_. He and I both knew that we had never, not  _once_  thought of each other as siblings. In fact, the longer we lived together, the less I wanted to be related to him in any way. I may have been adopted, but he was  _not_  my brother. That thought disgusted me.

 _I hate him_.

The thought made me pause mid-note. I hated him?

It was a thought rang true in my mind. It didn't make me flinch, or squirm guiltily, or shake my head, but it  _rang true_. I stared at my hands, frozen arches over the piano keys, completely dumbstruck. I… _hated_  him? How could that be possible though? I swore, just a month ago, a  _week_  ago, I loved him more than anyone in the world. How was it possible to suddenly  _hate_ someone? How could that be?

I was angry at him, I knew that…but my anger didn't burn quite as hotly as it did before. It was sort of cold and resigned, in an almost defeated sort of way. It was like I was tired of being angry at him. In fact, I was tired of loving him. And it was…

 _Liberating_.

"Is something wrong?" Shiori asked, and I realized she had been waiting for the rest of the song.

"No." I moved my hands to the play the rest. "I just forgot how this went for a moment," I lied. I didn't look at Kurama, but I could feel his alert gaze burning into me.

I don't think  _The Rains of Castamere_  had ever sounded so happy.

* * *

Hiei was in my room when I went upstairs later that evening.

I slowly shut the door behind me, staring at him. He was sitting on my bed, as he often did, with one leg pulled up and the other straight out. His face was oddly blank, but he looked up at me when the door latched.

"You're back," I murmured. "I thought you went back to the Makai."

"Spirit World is in an upheaval. The kekkai barrier still remains, and I wasn't able to cross over. I've been in the Ningenkai," he answered, looking away. His blunt thumbnail dug into his knee. "I didn't go far."

 _Far_  was a relative term. To me that meant he didn't leave Honshu, but to him that might have meant he didn't leave Asia.

"Why did you leave?" I asked, moving to the center of the bedroom.

"I needed space," he answered. He looked up at me. "I've found some things out about Hatton, but it isn't much. If I could go to back to demon world, I know I could find out a lot more."

I sunk to the chair in front of my desk, eyes wide and never leaving his face. "Tell me," I breathed.

"He's a serial killer," Hiei said matter-of-factly. His red eyes were fixed on my face earnestly. "He specializes in killing girls and women, although he's killed a few men too. He prefers humans to be his victims, although he does have a fascination with killing demons slowly. I think you were his first victim, back in your universe."

There was a knock on my door and Kurama pushed it open. "Sorry to interrupt, but I picked up the conversation from downstairs." His green eyes studied my face and went back to Hiei. "Hiei, did you find Hatton? If Alice saw him in the human world, then he certainly must be here – especially with all the trouble with the kekkai barrier."

Hiei shook his head, staring hard at Kurama. "I'm beginning to think that he can cross the barrier as he pleases. He isn't in the human world now, according to the minds of his underlings."

"Underlings?" Kurama asked, shutting the door firmly behind him. He folded his arms and furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "Humans?"

"And demons," Hiei answered. "He does have about forty humans in his employment. It's possible that he knows about the nature of Alice's powers."

"You mean that I can't harm humans with it?" I suggested.

"Correct. It seems that the humans are on high alert. They're based in a suburb in Tokyo, but their base is rather technologically advanced, and most of them are new psychics from the Mushiori area. It seems that Hatton was aware of Sensui's movements, and the consequences of him tearing a hole in the kekkai barrier." Hiei's eyes swiveled to Kurama. "Of course, you did say that Toguro seemed quite aware of Hatton's existence. Perhaps he plays a bigger hand then we realize."

"No," I said sharply, before I could stop myself. I bit my lip. Hatton was certainly not in power here. He wasn't behind Sakyo, the Toguro brothers, or Sensui, but it was definitely strange that he knew which people to attach himself to.

"No?" Hiei asked dubiously.

Kurama waited, raising an eyebrow.

"Um. I mean. It could be possible that he just has a knack for finding the right people to work with?" I offered, kicking myself mentally. Damn it. I did  _not_  want to have to explain the existence of  _Yu Yu Hakusho_  to them. Even if  _I_  barely remembered shit about it, it was definitely possible that Hatton read or watched the series and knew just where to place himself to find me. "Or, actually," I continued, thinking aloud, "is it possible that he just found out about me at the Dark Tournament?"

"Perhaps even Maze Castle?" Kurama added thoughtfully, giving me a frown. He knew something was off. He continued. "It was talked about all over demon world, according to my sources. You were mentioned, apparently, but it was not incredibly detailed."

I ran with it. "He could have had his suspicions then and investigated at the Dark Tournament?"

"Yes, that  _does_  make sense," Kurama agreed. "But it does seem terribly convenient."

"It does," I said, pulling my knees up and folding my arms over them. "Did you find out anything else, Hiei?"

"His powers?" Kurama suggested.

"I didn't learn anything about that," Hiei answered, scratching his knee. "I'm not inclined to think that he's particularly powerful, human or demon. It does appear that he is some sort of warped version of both, considering his time in the poisonous air of the Makai." His eyes roved over me curiously. "Humans from your dimension are particularly tough."

I smiled. "Fortunately or unfortunately."

"Be positive, Alice," Kurama chided.

"We're screwed!" I said brightly, throwing my hands in the air. At their blank expressions, I filled them in. "You two are woefully behind times. I was referencing  _10 Things I Hate About You_. Come on you guys. Seriously."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "And what the hell do I care about some human…film?"

"Film," I confirmed with a nod. At least he got that part.

"Anyway," Kurama plowed on, totally ignoring one of the best movies of all time, "we will have to do more investigating. Hiei, I'm putting you in charge of that, although I will have my own sources investigating in demon world as well."

"Who are these  _sources?_ " I asked, finding it silly that he was being all secretive about it.

"Hedoki. And some others."

" _That_   _guy?_  Kurama, tell me you're kidding. He  _choked_  me once!" I slammed my palm down on my desk. "You can't  _possibly_  trust that fucker with  _my_  best interests, can you?"

"Not at all," Kurama answered breezily. "I simply trust him to act in his  _own_  best interests. I find that he's quite useful after you frighten him enough."

"Ah," I said, resisting the urge to shake my head. Nah, wait. Use him til he's dead.

"If there's nothing else," Kurama said, glancing between me and Hiei, "I'll leave the two of you alone."

"Bye," I told him flatly, remembering that I was still mad at him.

Kurama gave me a patronizing smile and left the room, closing the door behind him.

After he left, I stared at my knees for a minute, wondering how to best say what I was thinking. The winter wind rattled my windows, and since it was an uninsulated Japanese house, a draft of cold air swept in. I wished I had a kotatsu in my room, but Kurama had claimed it for his own, the selfish bastard.

"I'm glad you came back," I finally decided to say. "It's not the same without you around, no matter what our relationship is."

"Is that so?"

He sounded disbelieving, so I met his eyes and frowned. "Of course. I missed you."

"You had Kurama," he answered.

Knowing it was likely he would hear this, but deciding I didn't care, I told him, "I hate Kurama."

Hiei made an amused sound. "No, you don't. I've been fighting against his hold over you all this time. Are you telling me you finally got sick of it?"

I nodded.

Hiei still looked like he didn't believe me. He even cracked a smirk. "Are you certain? Well, if that's the case, my offer still stands."

I slumped and gave a sigh. "I know, but…it's still a  _lot_ , Hiei. You know? I think it's best that we go our separate ways."

He sighed. "You're really done with me? With  _this?_ "

"Yes," I answered, leaving the chair, and moving towards him. I sat on the edge of my bed by his knee. "I think it's best that you find someone who really deserves you."

He gave a harsh laugh. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Someone who deserves  _me?_ "

I knew he wasn't willing to tell his identity to Yukina because of his wariness of his own bloodlust. He knew he was a killer  _and_ a thief. I had a feeling his self-image wasn't that great.

"Hiei, you're rational and perceptive, and even  _kind_. Don't give me that glare - it's true. Everyone's kindness is different, and I wouldn't have kissed you if you were as cruel as you apparently think you are. You deserve someone who loves you." I sort of wanted to grasp his hand or something, but decided against it. "I really want you to be happy. Don't think I'm breaking up with you because I resent you or because I love someone else – I don't. I think it's best that we just admit we want very different things."

"And that's the crux of it," he stated dully.

"Yes."

He didn't say anything for a long time. But then, "Do you truly hate him? Kurama?"

I sighed. "I don't love him anymore. I'm angry with him. I think I hate him. I don't feel bad saying any of that so it's probably a good sign that it's all true."

"You belong with him," Hiei said, stoplight red eyes boring into me. "If not me, than it should be him."

"Why?" I asked, fighting down a strange urge to laugh.

Hiei gave me a hard smile. "Because the two of you deserve each other."

"What is  _that_  supposed to mean?"

"Be rational. You've lived together, you've bickered together, and you both are more alike that should be allowed."

"I'm a cruel, borderline abusive fox demon?"

"You challenge him," Hiei said. "You confuse him. If anyone can knock him down a peg, it's you, and if anyone can break you in, it's him."

I didn't want to end up  _broken_. No thanks. I knew what Kurama was capable of. His cruelty was immeasurable, but I was only concerned about knocking him off his high, white horse. I was only concerned about flipping that pristine boat into the sea. Him and his fucking  _control issues_. I could see why Tasaka couldn't stand him now. I wanted to destroy him. Or run away. I wasn't quite sure which.

"I think any more of relationship between us is a bad idea," I grumbled, getting to my feet and brushing myself off. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Really."

"Fine," Hiei answered shortly. "Since I'm on recon, it may be awhile before you see me again." His tone held a glimmer of mischievousness. "While I'm gone, I'll keep an eye out for a girl who deserves me."

"You don't even know what to look for," I snipped, folding my arms.

He pushed the window open, letting in a blast of cold air, and sent a smirk to me. "That's true. I found you, didn't I?"

"Exactly. And I'm no good for you," I answered, shivering. I wrapped my arms around myself, waiting for him to go, but he just stared at me.

"I want a kiss."

"No." Even if I wanted to kiss him, we  _really_  had to end this.

"I didn't ask, did I? Come here. You're freezing." His hand was out, reaching for me. His small smile was knowing and sweet in his own way.

"Hiei," I said, staring warily at his hand. "I'm  _trying_  to end this. You're making it  _really_  hard, okay?"

His hand fell to his side, and the small smile disappeared from his face. "Fine. End this just like that." He turned away, and climbed onto the sill. He was going slowly, thinking that I would stop him, and I swear to God, I almost did.

I watched him leave, gnawing on my lip.


	29. Death Valley

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Twenty-nine: Death Valley**

* * *

_But we are alive,_

_Here in Death Valley,_

_But don't take love off the table yet,_

' _Cause tonight,_

_It's just fire alarms and losing you,_

_We only love a lot,_

_So we only lose a little,_

_But we are alive (we are alive),_

_We are alive._

_-Fall Out Boy_

* * *

Meiou's graduation day came in March, and after the long, arduous ceremony, Shiori and Katsuya took us out to dinner at a fancy-pants restaurant in Nerima. I  _think_  it was supposed to be French, but it was a bit of a European fusion place. They would have taken us all the way to Tokyo, but Kurama and I insisted that it wasn't necessary.

That was probably the only thing Kurama and I agreed on together in awhile. Actually, it wasn't so much that we'd been disagreeing, but more like I was just ignoring him. Sitting beside him at dinner was awkward at best, and irritating at worst. Even the smooth sound of his voice irked me.

"I'm glad you two got your acceptance letters so quickly," Shiori was saying, poking at her salad. "I was already able to order your uniforms, and two new book bags. Alice-chan, are you  _certain_  you don't want to go to Niiza?"

"Positive," I answered, not even bothering to look up from my own salad. Shiori and I had been over this several times already. "I nearly killed myself to pass the entrance exam – I don't think good grades would be sustainable there, for me. Sato sounds like more fun anyway, and there's less of a commute. I can walk with Shuichi-kun," I added, trying my very hardest to sound cheerful. Part of the reason I decided on Sato was because Hatton still had it out for me – and I, unfortunately, had to depend on Kurama to protect me.

Katsuya seemed pleased about this. "Yes, I'd like that. Shuichi-kun, I'll have to depend on you to keep the boys away from Alice-chan," he said with a wink.

My fork dropping against my plate cut off Kurama's light chuckle. "That's not funny," I said flatly, pushing my chair away from the table and getting to my feet. "I'm going to wash my hands."

I left them and went around the chatty tables and bustling waiters to the bathroom. I needed to get away before I  _really_  said something I would regret later. I didn't know if Shiori had told Katsuya about the boyfriend-thing, but if he knew about it, it was a joke made in very poor taste. Men were forever clueless.

I didn't really need to use the bathroom or anything, so I just dug around in my purse and stared hard at myself in the mirror. My expression was kind of wan, and I didn't like what I saw.

I needed eyeliner.

Luckily, I had a few things with me, and I found my black liquid liner shoved a mostly empty pack of gum. After a moment of flourishes, my eyes were brighter and slightly cat-like. My foundation was still holding up, so I added a little more blush and bronzer in the hollows of my cheeks, and a bit of bright, shimmery eye shadow on the apples of my cheekbones. They now looked sharp enough to cut a man's throat.

Good makeup always turned my spine into steel. Fantastic makeup always made me feel like nothing could touch me. I really wasn't sure why, but whenever I felt blah, makeup always helped.

I found a cute pair of earrings in a pocket of my purse, a pair of mod-like polka-dot studs, and slipped them through my earlobes. I caught the flash of gold from Kurama's bracelet in the mirror. I realized that I had gotten so used to it that I didn't notice he still hadn't removed it from my wrist. I supposed that until Hatton was dead or imprisoned, he never would. Maybe even after that, what with his  _control_  issues.

I gave the bracelet a vicious, rebellious yank, but it did nothing aside from flare his youki at me. I glared at my arm, and caught my reflection in the mirror again.

I looked really fucking good, and that made me feel a lot better. At least, okay enough to grab my purse and go back out to dinner.

Katsuya apologized as soon as I sat down. "I didn't think about how that would sound, Alice-chan," he said, giving a sad shake of his head. "It was very rude. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said lightly, forcing myself to turn the dinner into something pleasant. "Besides, you're going to be my dad, it only makes sense that you'd be concerned."

"That's right," he said agreeably, grinning. "I've always thought of you both as my kids too."

"Thank you," Kurama and I said together.

I felt his green eyes on me, but I took another bite of my salad instead of acknowledging him. In fact, I spent the rest of dinner pointedly ignoring him, but I did notice out of the corner of my eye that his mouth was quirked slightly in amusement.

So Kurama thought this was  _funny_ , did he?

Later, after the drive home, while Shiori and Katsuya were having some wine downstairs before bed, Kurama cornered me while I was washing my face. Of course he would do that when he figured I would be the most vulnerable, because  _he_  wouldn't miss the fact that my makeup was a shield and a weapon.

"I need to talk to you," he said, closing the bathroom door behind him.

"About  _what?_ " I demanded crossly, bent over the sink with makeup remover running into my eyes. "Do we really have to do this now?"

He handed me a washcloth. "Well, no, but I prefer it this way. You can't run away from me in here."

"Well, I could always flush myself down the toilet to go to the Ministry of Magic, but I'm sure you'd just follow me," I retorted, running hot water over the washcloth and wiping my eyes.

"Certainly," he answered lightly. "I've never been to the wizarding world before. I'm sure it's just as interesting as the books say it is."

I sighed. "What do you want?"

"In the summer, the month of August specifically, I'll be going to Demon World. If this business with Hatton isn't wrapped up by then, I believe you'll either end up going with me or to Genkai," he said. "I haven't spoken with her about this yet, but I'm certain she wouldn't mind taking you in for a month. Obviously, I can't leave you alone."

I straightened in surprise. "What are you going  _there_  for?"

He gave a slight shrug and looked away. "An old friend of mine called and asked me to lend him my aid. I'm not certain of the danger, although I'm positive it'll be safer for you to stay with Genkai. Although, if you did go with me, I don't think the air would be poisonous to you, if Hatton's survived it."

I frowned. He obviously wasn't telling me everything. I turned back to the sink and finished washing my face off, and hung the washcloth up. "Is that all?" I asked, reaching for my moisturizer.

"I suppose," he answered, watching me slather it on my face with a strange fascination. "Women do go through so much trouble for their skin, don't they?"

"Not all of us are genetically perfect."

"Hm," he said thoughtfully, "but I like your skin."

His remark startled me, but I forced my face to stay straight. I'd been playing his games way too long. "What," I began, screwing the lid back on my moisturizer, "is that supposed to make my heart skip a beat? You're losing your touch."

"I haven't the slightest idea to what you're referring," he said, but I saw a glimmer in his green eyes. I insulted him by throwing his compliment back in his face.

"Why don't you just admit that you can't stand me  _not_  loving you anymore?" I said with a sneer. "I mean, since all I do is apparently feed your ego."

His surprise was evident – he blinked, and stilled. "That's silly," he said finally.

"I hate people who lie to themselves." I dropped the jar back onto the shelf beside the sink, and turned to scowl at him, folding my arms.

He straightened and his eyebrow ticked in irritation. "I dislike those who disparage their own self-worth."

"You've obviously got me confused with someone else," I bit out, setting my hands on my hips. "Just when has  _my_  self-confidence ever been lacking? Hm? In regards to  _you?_  I think you're out of your mind. You don't know me – you never have, Kurama."

"I don't  _know_  you?" His eyebrow went higher. "I think I've picked up several things in the last seven or eight years."

"Not enough," I retorted, growing angrier. "Why don't you just admit that it  _irks_  you?"

"You not loving me anymore does not  _irk_  me," he replied, hand curling into a fist at his side. "It confuses me, certainly. How does one suddenly just  _stop_  loving someone else? Just how deep was that love to begin with?"

"Hm. You're possessive of my affection," I observed. What an interesting thing to say. "You see, that's your problem, Kurama. You never looked beyond me being one of your possessions. And for your information, it was pretty deep, but it got tiring. I was sick of being emotionally exhausted all the time."

He didn't deny that he thought of me as a possession. Honestly, from his expression, it looked like he was just realizing it himself. It was strange to see such a stunned look on his normally calm face. "I suppose I didn't realize…"

"I think this is new to you." I sighed. "You've spent thousands of years as an emotionally-stunted outlaw, never forming bonds, or having the relationships you have now. You're still learning how to live and love. This is growth. It's…not easy." I tugged at the hem of my skirt. I wanted to put on my pajamas and go to bed. I was not a psychologist, which was something that Kurama clearly needed. "I'm going to sleep."

He stepped out of the way so that I could leave the bathroom, and I left him standing there, flabbergasted. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Alice," he said, just as my hand touched my bedroom door. I turned to look at him from across the hall. His mouth was pressed in a slight line, and his head was tilted to the side. "I understand that I have hurt you, just, perhaps I don't understand the extent to which I have. Can I do anything to make it up to you?"

"I don't know," I told him honestly.

He gave a soft sigh. "I see. I'll simply have to learn more about humans, I think, and relationships."

"That's a start," I replied, closing the door behind me.

* * *

Sato Art School was enormous. It was five stories tall, it sprawled over four acres of land, and I knew I would get lost the first day there. And probably the second day, and maybe even the next month.

A lot of the students were really beautiful. Probably a lot of them thought of going to Sato to set them on a path for a career in front of a camera, be it acting or modeling. Of course, there were plenty of other things going on there too: painting, sculpting, cinematography, interior design, fashion, music, and even cooking. There were even manga-drawing and voice-acting classes. Sato was very inclusive of all art forms. And if you came up with something it didn't have, you could easily make a club for it. Of course, to do that, you had to be keeping up with all of your regular classes too.

Unless you already know what you want to do, you would spend the first trimester of your first year going from section to section, class to class, trying your hand at everything. I fell in that boat, so I tramped across the campus for the first few weeks, trying to find my niche.

The modeling section wanted me.

The only reason I could think they did was because I was foreign. Although I had finally hit 5'3", I still wasn't exactly tall enough for haute couture – and I never would be. I remember topping out at 5'41/2" at nineteen years old back in Texas. Hardly runway worthy.

But still, they were the club that wanted me most. I was pretty hopeless at other visual arts – I never could draw well, let alone paint, and don't even get me started on sculpture. That was a complete joke. Although, the week spent with the interior design club was pretty interesting, and they did invite me back.

I hadn't hit the acting section yet. There was a very large rotation for it  _and_  the modeling section for the first years, since they were both pretty popular. I hadn't even seen Naoto or Kyoko, but I was certain it was only because they were in the second year's section of the campus – first years weren't allowed there unless they had express permission from a teacher. I tried to spot them at the school's gate in the morning and afternoon, but there were too many people.

"Minamino, answer this question for me," Kitani-sensei said, frowning at me. He reminded me a lot of a younger Katsuya, with his slightly stern glasses and mild attitude. He had probably thought he caught me daydreaming in our world history class.

One of the things Sato prided itself on was the fact that even though it was an art school, it still had one of the best academic curriculums in the prefecture. The classes weren't easy – they were pretty demanding and there was a lot of homework. If I hadn't just come out a school like Meiou, I probably wouldn't have been prepared for the rigorous curriculum, considering my laughable academic background in Texas.

I glanced at the blackboard where he had written his notes on the French Revolution. He had underlined the question.

_What was the cause of the March of Versailles?_

I answered quickly and succinctly. "Shortages and overinflated prices on bread. The Parisian working class was spending half of their income on food at the time."

He smiled. "Good answer. Although, when you answer this question on paper, you should include the hunger and despair of the women who marched."

I nodded.

He went on to explain more of the March, and called on a few others to answer questions. They answered quickly, or slowly, depending on who he called on. The smartest kid was probably Usui Nanami, who looked like she could easily be Japan's next teen idol. She reminded me a bit of Hermione in the ways she behaved in class, meaning that she was always overeager to answer questions, and while very nice, she could be a little obnoxious at times.

No one was particularly dumb, but there were the kids who were just there because they had to be, and they just wanted to be famous already. They hid and didn't want to be called on, or ignored it when they were. Kouji and Adachi were the worst – they hardly did any work and refused to do any of their day duties. They spent most of the time making sure they looked good and taking selfies on their phones.

A lot of the kids in my class were pretty cool though. They were really trendy and artsy, and really thoughtful too. They were interested in me, but I knew there were a few other foreigners in the school. I had heard there was a black exchange student in the third year. I heard there was another exchange student from Germany in the manga club. Still, it was rare enough, so I could see one of the reasons the modeling section was interested in me – and bonus points because I was a resident and wouldn't be going back to my home country any time soon.

The bell rang for break, and I went for a walk out to the first years' courtyard. I didn't have to wait long before more modeling section recruiters came for me again.

"Minamino-chan! Minamino-chan!"

I turned and saw Yamamori, and the section's president, Yosano waving at me. I was a little surprised the president was approaching me personally.

"Eh, Yamamori-senpai, Yosano-kaichou, can I help you?" I asked, still wondering  _what exactly_  they would even do with me. They hadn't fully explained themselves yet, and while I appreciated the fact that they wanted me, I still didn't want to end up making a fool out of myself because I didn't have the right height.

"Yes!" Yamamori exclaimed, giving a bright smile. Her curls bounced as she stopped in front of me. "You can officially join the modeling section! We need people like you!"

"Foreigners?" I prompted, curiously.

"Yes," she answered, pleasantly. "You also have the right face for it."

I was confused. "I do?"

Yosano added on, seeing my expression. "You have a good bone structure," she said serenely. "And your nose isn't too big for a foreigner."

"But I'm not very tall," I said, managing to not feel too insulted. "Isn't that going to be a problem?"

They giggled. "Japanese aren't very tall either – not commonly," said Yamamori. "But as long as you don't gain any unnecessary weight, you can easily be a member."

Well, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't maintaining my weight very well. After not being able to go for runs as often as I used too, I had put on about seven pounds, and my muscles were beginning to turn into flub. It didn't make a big difference on my frame yet, since I had been a little underweight to begin with, but I wasn't going to be able to exercise much. Gaining more weight seemed inevitable.

But at least I was getting bigger boobs.

"I'm not really sure the modeling section is for me yet," I answered politely. "I'd like to try my hand at a few more things, before I make a final decision. I really appreciate you taking so much consideration for me though."

Yamamori frowned, but Yosano gave me another serene smile. "That's fine. Come back any time, Minamino-chan. We'd love to have you." She suddenly gave me a critical look, interrupting her sanguine expression. "Do you do your own makeup?"

I blinked. "Of course."

Yosano smiled again. "It's very good. I like the way you've chosen and blended your eye shadow. You know, if you don't want to do work in front of the camera, I think you'd be very valuable behind it too."

I felt my face light up. "Thank you so much."

"Of course, Minamino-chan. Well, see you around. Let's go, Yuka." She gave me a wave and they went back inside, leaving me alone.

I whipped out my cell phone and shot Shizuru a quick text about what had just happened. I grinned at my screen. I hadn't even thought of getting involved in makeup artistry. I suppose watching all of those Youtube tutorials paid off.

My phone dinged.  _Well, if it makes you excited, you should go for it,_  Shizuru replied.  _You did Keiko's makeup before she saw Yusuke at the Dark Tournament, and she really liked it._

I frowned. I had no recollection of this at all.  _Was I drunk?_  I texted.

My phone dinged after a couple seconds. _Completely shitfaced_ , she replied.

I laughed. That figured. Kurama was probably right about me trying sobriety, but I really didn't want him to be right about anything – at least when it came to me.

I sighed. I could tell he was trying though, at least. He had been giving me as much space as he could lately, and even when I tried to pick fights with him, he just stayed irritatingly pleasant. I hadn't completely given up on punishing him, but I was really just waiting for the perfect opportunity to crop up. You know, something like he meets a girl he really likes, and I completely turn her against him. Or he gets a winning lottery ticket and I drop it into the garbage disposal. Stuff like that.

I waited by the gate after school for Kurama to come get me. After awhile, I caught his red head bobbing in the distance through the crowd of free students leaving the school. My phone went off and I dug it out of my bag, unlocking it. Keiko, apparently at Shizuru's suggestion, had sent me a selfie she had taken that night I did her makeup.

My jaw dropped. She looked amazing.

In my extremely inebriated state, I had managed a high-level haute couture-esque look that easily belonged in  _Vogue_. I had hallowed out Keiko's cheekbones with contour and a bright orangey-pink blush. I had given her subtle, thin black lines over her eyelids that ended in cat-like points. I had blended a gold pencil in the outer edge of her waterline, and a whiter pencil in the inner edge and the inner corners of her eyes, making those doe eyes of hers the huge, statement piece of the evening. I spotted my baby pink lip stain on her mouth to balance the heavy eye makeup.

"Oh, that's from the Dark Tournament," Kurama remarked, glancing over my shoulder.

I shrieked and sent my phone soaring into the crowd.

Luckily, Kurama snatched it out of the air and calmly handed it back to me. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to scare you. I remember you did her makeup that night, didn't you? I recognize the way you do your cheekbones. Are you curious about doing makeup professionally?"

Not even within five minutes of meeting him, and he had already dissected my day.

"Maybe," I answered, shoving my phone back in my bag. I would have to text Keiko thanks later.

"I think you would be good at it," he encouraged. "You've always had a gift with it. You always to manage to look very put-together when you want. Do you like it? Doing makeup?"

"I like it."

He caught the shortness of my tone and changed the subject. "Shall we stop at the café on the way home? It's been a few days. I'm beginning to think something's wrong with you."

"I'm getting fat," I told him, flatly. I wanted to run. I hated being confined in the house.

His dark green eyes turned to me, giving me an amused once-over. He lingered over my breasts for a brief, surprising moment, and quickly jerked his gaze to my face. "You're filling out," he calmly rebutted. "You look fine. Still skinny as a weed."

I knew he was right. I just didn't like suddenly gaining weight – it was uncomfortable. I felt puffy, and my clothes were getting tighter. I needed to go shopping.

Nah. Fuck that.

"I need to start running again. Isn't there anything we can do about Hatton? I can literally feel my quads turning into liquid shit." I shucked my blazer off and slung through the strap of my bag.

His eyebrows soared. "My, liquid shit so soon? You only stopped running a month ago."

"I'm  _antsy_ , damn it. I want to  _run_. And even the modeling club was like, 'we want you – but don't gain anymore weight!'"

He gave me a dubious look. "How shallow. Fine, if you like, you can start running again. I'll go with you."

I cringed. "Ew, no."

"No?"

"It's a by-myself thing."

He sighed. "Why don't you give it a chance? I solemnly swear not to say a word to you the whole time – unless it's to warn you of danger."

"Fine. Maybe if I blast Bassnectar loud enough, I'll forget you exist."

He looked like I had just slapped him – startled. I immediately felt my stomach drop. I opened my mouth to apologize, and then wondered what the hell I thought I was doing. Didn't I hate him?

I snapped my mouth shut and tossed him a glare.

"Are you really that determined to be angry with me?" he asked softly.

I shrugged, and stepped ahead of him.

"Alice. Please look at me."

I stopped and rounded on him, waiting with my hands on my hips. I swallowed down the apology that was struggling to come out. I refused to apologize to him – even if he looked like a kicked puppy.

His eyes left my face and turned down to the sidewalk. "I wish I had done things differently, but even I can't change the past. I'm attempting to mend things between us, but it hasn't been easy. You know how sorry I am, don't you? For everything? Alice?"

I stared right at him. "I've noticed a change in your behavior, yes, but I'm still going to be angry at you. You should know by now how hard it is to earn my forgiveness. And I never forget a wrong done to me."

"It would certainly be foolish to forget those wrongs," he responded, eyes downcast again.

I felt my desire to torture him ebb away. Maybe I was a much softer person than I realized. "You have been trying though. I noticed. Just…don't give up, I guess. Even if I never forgive you, at least you'll be better at playing human."

"This isn't a game," he retorted, mouth thinning in a line. "This is my life. I'm not ' _playing_  human' – I  _am_  one."

I laughed at him. "Wake up. You're a demon through and through – don't fool yourself. You can't just expect to  _be_  human after spending thousands of years as a demon. Don't be stupid."

He started. "Don't be stupid? I certainly never thought I'd hear those words directed at me. But, I suppose I see your point." He sighed. "Straight home then? Or would you like to go to the café? I fear if we stand here any longer, we'll just get into a huge fight as we usually do."

"Café," I answered, knowing he was right. Somehow we always ended up fighting. I was as tired of it as he was. "Caffeine helps me run faster."

"Are we doing that tonight?"

"No time like the present," I said, catching his wrist and tugging him across the street.

* * *

"I hate card games," I told Kurama for the millionth time.

The bus rumbled underneath us, leaving the smell of diesel in the air. The dusky countryside of the Saitama prefecture passed us by, and the last tendrils of the low sun stabbed me in the eyes. I yanked down my sunglasses from the top of my head, and threw a five of diamonds at Kurama.

He snapped it out of the air before it could hit him in the face, and cracked a smile at me. "You simply dislike losing. There is really no need to get so worked up about a game of Go Fish."

I dropped all of my cards in his lap and moodily pressed my face against the cool window. My sunglasses pressed uncomfortably against the bridge of my nose. "Are we there yet?"

"We still have another twenty minutes before we stop, and then we have a ten-minute walk to the temple. We should be there by nightfall. Will you be sad to see Yusuke go?"

"Who  _else_  am I going to talk to about horror movies and exchange dick jokes with?"

Kurama chuckled and shuffled the cards back together. His long fingers arranged them all neatly and slipped them back into the box. "I thought you could at least do the same with Shizuru?"

I looked back at him and gave him a long-suffering sigh. "I can on some level, but Yusuke will just  _go there_ , you know? He's really the best entertainment we have around here."

"I'll give you that," he agreed, folding his hands and leaning back into his seat. "Hiei will probably turn up as well, while we're there. He may have some more information on Hatton. I'm afraid my sources are all compromised."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Hatton knows for whom they work. Hiei is quite special in the way he can acquire information. I'm surprised Hatton hasn't warded against his Jagan eye. I suppose it's possible that he doesn't know the powers of it. After all, a Jagan eye is rare enough in this world – I wouldn't be surprised if it were the same in yours."

"Mm," I agreed. "I never knew of such a thing until I met Hiei."

We were quiet for the rest of the bus ride, musing. Kurama was probably think of more ways to learn more about Hatton, but I was hoping that meeting Hiei wouldn't be too awkward after I denied giving him a kiss. I hadn't seen him since that day. We both needed our space from each other, but I hoped we could still be friends. Maybe he did too – after all, he was going through all of this trouble to find more information on Hatton for me. It had to mean something.

Hiei always did prefer actions over words.

The bus turned into town, and I knew we were in Tokigawa, by the name on the closest gas station. It rumbled on through, and I watched the small town pass by. It was quite rural out here, compared to Asaka. But then again, we were starting to get into a rather mountainous region.

We got to the edge of town and the bus screeched into a stop. Kurama and I picked up our bags and hopped off, and the bus pulled away.

"That way?" I guessed, pointing to a craggy-looking forest. The tops of the trees were gold from the last bit of sun, and I pushed my sunglasses back on top of my head again. It was dark enough now to not need them. There was a narrow road running up a hill to guide the way.

"That's it," he said, starting ahead of me.

I sauntered behind him, reaching down to scratch my calf for a second – my boot was itchy – and continued. He didn't pause, knowing I would catch up with him. There was one streetlight, right around a sharp curve in the road for cars. It buzzed as we walked underneath it.

"What's the temple like?" I wondered, swatting at a mosquito.

He gave me a serene smile over his shoulder. "You'll see. I'll show you around tomorrow before we leave."

"Hm." I gave him a mock glare. I guessed one of the benefits of all of the trains stopping at midnight was that you found yourself in interesting places until they started up again in the morning.

He reached his hand back for me. "Come on. Don't lag or will miss Yusuke. Would you like me to carry your bag?"

"I'm not  _that_  out of shape." I stared at his hand pointedly, and he dropped it. I walked a little faster to catch up to him, and stopped by his side. "By the way, running with you hasn't been absolutely terrible, so I'd like to go just about every evening. Is that okay?"

"I do enjoy the way you temper your cruelty with checking in," he remarked, raising his eyebrows and giving me a half-smile. "That's fine. We can make our rounds through the neighborhood. After all, I certainly can't have rogue demons causing trouble in my backyard."

"Possessive as always," I observed.

"Asaka  _is_  my territory. You remember what happened with Yatsude? The demon that had Hedoki kidnap Maya?"

"I wasn't there," I reminded him. "But I get your point. I just want to irritate you."

"I would advise against such things," he said lightly.

I shrugged. "I know I have a lot of patience to burn through before I reach the end of your rope. I'm not worried."

This remark only seemed to amuse him. "Patience does come with age."

"And you're old as dirt."

He sighed, reaching for me. His fingertips grazed my neck as he flipped my collar up haphazardly. "There you are. Your disheveled appearance befits your youth."

"Oh, honestly," I grumbled, reaching to fix it. "That's just petty."

"Well, now that Yusuke is leaving, I have to find my amusement somewhere."

"I've never not been your main source of entertainment, you burnt carrot. Even when you were mooning over Kitajima Maya, you still took time to torment me especially. Yusuke leaving is not going to make a difference."

"Did you just refer to me as a burnt carrot?"

I grabbed a fistful of his red hair, and gave it a pointed yank.

He laughed and gave me directions. "Turn left up here."

We continued on a narrower road surrounded by woods on either side. The sun had gone down completely at this point, and the sky melted into a deep navy. I looked up at the blanket of stars above us, and noticed the moon was just a sliver. "Is it waxing or waning?"

He looked up. "Waning. The country is quite nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I like the fresh air – probably not as much as you do, though."

"The lack of pollution certainly makes a difference on my senses. I believe it's like struggling with asthma your entire life until you finally get an inhaler – then you discover what it feels like to really breathe."

We walked a little longer, deeper into the forest, and then turned right on another small, paved road. I began to sense a wealth of spiritual power in the distance, and assumed it must have been Genkai's compound by its purity. It felt warded against something, but I wasn't sure what. It certainly wasn't against demons. I sensed Hiei's aura mixed in with the compound's.

It turned out that the road we were on was actually just a long driveway. I couldn't see much of the compound in the dark, aside from some impressively large, dark shapes against the forest. The driveway ended in a small, three-car paved parking space – with no cars. From the driveway extended stone steps built into a large hill. Kurama's hand went around mine, and I grudgingly let him lead me up through the dark.

I swore I could hear Kuwabara yelling.

We finally reached the landing. Kurama led me into the first building, which functioned as a house, assuming from the messily stacked shoes in the genken. It was dark inside, since no one appeared to be in, and we left our bags by the door.

Back outside, I followed Kurama around the building and through the bushes. I realized that I had really been hearing Kuwabara yelling.

"You really aren't gonna accept that, are you, Hiei?" he demanded. It sounded like he wasn't that far ahead of us. Maybe just around the main building.

"In fact, I am," came Hiei's dry-voiced reply. "I belong in  _Demon_  World – not this one."

I bit my lip nervously, grasping the back of Kurama's shirt for guidance. I hoped we didn't have a huge, awkward  _thing_  in front of everyone or something.

"Even if that means going up against your friend Urameshi while you're there?!"

"If that is our destiny, then so be it. After all, I have always wanted a rematch," Hiei replied. I noticed he didn't deny Yusuke's friendship.

Kurama popped out of the bushes ahead of me, and I dropped my hold on his shirt, wondering if I should just stay hidden. This was bound to be so awkward. I sucked it up and forced myself out of the bushes.

"It may be my destiny too," Kurama chimed in.

"Kurama, too?!" Kuwabara yelled, hands going into fists.

"My presence in Demon World has also been requested – and at the behest of the third ruler, Yomi, an old acquaintance."

"I feel like the ugly one at the dance," Kuwabara grumbled.

Kurama moved closer to the group, and I followed him, keeping my eyes trained on Kuwabara and Yusuke. Yusuke looked like he was already set to go, with his jacket and his bag slung over his shoulder. Kuwabara was wearing casual sweat pants and a shirt.

"I'll be leaving for Demon World myself, though some time after Yusuke and Hiei do." Kurama folded his arms and glanced up at Kuwabara.

" _Ugh!_  I can't believe what I'm hearing! Have you all gone totally bonkers?! I thought we had a good thing going here! I thought we had a  _team!_ " Kuwabara shouted, waving a fist in Kurama's direction. "We were gonna fight the good fight together! But it turns out you'll fight  _any_  fight – even if it means fighting against  _each other!_ "

Kurama's glance turned into a glare.

"I considered you my friends!" Kuwabara continued, face contorting with rage. He pointed a finger at Hiei. "But you're no friends of mine!"

"Somehow I think I'll manage to live with that," Hiei replied.

Kuwabara's face turned red. "I'm gonna kill you, you little punk!" He leapt over the railing on the porch and landed like a bull in front of Hiei. Kuwabara launched himself forward and caught Hiei by his scarf with one hand, while pulling back the other to sock him in the mouth.

"Stop!" Genkai commanded.

Kuwabara obeyed.

I wondered for a brief moment if Hiei would have actually let Kuwabara hit him.

"We have no reason to believe they're abandoning the good fight," Genkai said.

"Get off it, old lady – they're going to Demon World, evil's all they do!" Kuwabara said, pulling back and straightening.

Yukina frowned. "Kazuma, just because someone was born a demon doesn't mean they're necessarily evil. Or have you forgotten that I, too, am of Demon World?"

"Ah! But I didn't…ugh…" Kuwabara gave a defeated sigh and slumped, dropping his hold on Hiei.

Yusuke leapt over the railing too, slinging an arm around Kuwabara's neck. "Listen, pal –"

"What do you want with me, you traitor?"

Yusuke wasn't offended at all. He leaned forward and started talking under his voice to Kuwabara. Whatever Yusuke said seemed to ease the tension in the air, and Kuwabara relaxed.

Shizuru appeared on the porch with Botan, Yukina, and Genkai. I noticed Koenma standing there in his human form for the first time. I meandered over to say hi.

"Hey, guys."

"Oh, hi, Alice," Yukina said, smiling. She glanced between me and Kuwabara, but I could tell where her focus really was.

"Alice!" Botan exclaimed, leaning over the railing. "Are you staying over night with us? The trains will stop soon, won't they? We should have some tea!"

I grinned. "Yeah, we're staying. Tea sounds great! Er, Genkai, thanks for letting us stay over."

"Well, I suppose I could make you all walk back, but I can be hospitable too," she replied, flashing a smirk at me. "Don't stay up all night tormenting the boys though."

"There's no need to worry," Botan said with a wave of her hand. "We're all friends here. Even if Hiei denies it."

"What else do you expect from him?" Genkai remarked, rolling her eyes in Hiei's direction. Her eyes fell on Yusuke. "He'll be leaving soon."

I looked over my shoulder to see the three SDF members from Demon's Door Cave standing in the middle of the courtyard.

"Urameshi-kun, the time has now arrived for your departure," said the captain.

Yusuke straightened and grinned. "All right, soldiers! Double-time! Let's go!" He crossed the courtyard.

" _CAWWW!"_

I jumped and looked up in surprise to see a massive, dark shape in the sky. It looked like a pterodactyl, but I noticed that no one else seemed to be too concerned about it swooping down closer and  _closer_. I shrunk back against the porch warily, and watched Yusuke look up and grin.

"Hey, Puu, come to see me off?" he called up at the shape.

I started. That pterodactyl was  _Puu?_  When did that – oh, wait.  _That's_  right. When Yusuke activated the Mazoku gene, Puu got big, didn't he? I had forgotten. I watched him land, and was finally able to make out the familiar glossy, blue feathers. Now that I could see him properly, there wasn't anything dinosaur-like about him – he looked a bit like a blue phoenix actually.

Yusuke reached up and Puu bent his enormous neck down so that they could hug it out. "I'm gonna miss you, buddy. Don't give Genkai too much hell, okay?"

Beyond them, the three SDF members held out their hands and a circle of light bloomed in the courtyard. It grew until it was large enough for Yusuke to hop through. I heard shuffling behind me, and the girls came down from the porch with their shoes on.

"Does anyone else think it's kinda ironic? That someone as strong as Sensui had to go through all that trouble to open a hole to Demon World, but these weak, little security guards can do it with barely a snap of their fingers?" Yusuke said, shouldering his bag higher and staring at the portal.

"Urameshi," Kuwabara began, hunched over with his hands in his pockets, "forget what I said before. We may have chosen different paths but you and I will always be…"

"Kuwabara?"

Kuwabara turned away. "I- I'm sorry, I just got some dirt stuck in my contact lens, that's all."

"The portal is ready now, sir," the female SDF member announced.

"Good job," the captain said, "All right, Urameshi-kun."

"Right." Yusuke turned away from Kuwabara to make his way to the portal. "I guess that's my cue. Well, Kurama, Hiei, see you on the flip side." The SDF captain stopped him, but I couldn't hear what he said to Yusuke.

Botan clutched her hands together, eyes welling up. "Oh, Yusuke, you're not going to  _really_  leave us, are you?"

I felt my face pull into an incredulous look in her direction before I could stop it. Did she think this was all a huge prank on her or something? Like Yusuke would just laugh at her and go, "Haha, got you"? And then we'd all go inside and hang out with the SDF members, laughing about how we all tricked her?

Kurama hid a laugh in a cough behind me, and I realized I was still staring at Botan.

"I'm afraid so," Yusuke said, breaking Botan's heart. "So long, guys." He gave us all one last look, as if memorizing our faces, and turned back to the portal. Falling into a crouch, he launched himself up and into the portal with a mighty yell. " _YAHHH!_ "

And disappeared into Demon World.

" _Yusuke!_ " Botan sobbed, tears running down her face.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why she was so upset. I didn't think Botan had feelings for him, but I supposed I could be wrong. I mean, I was a little sad to see my friend go, but I knew he would be all right. He was  _Yusuke_ , after all – master of dying and coming back to life. I shot Shizuru and Yukina a questioning look, but they looked as lost as I did.

"Well, you heard the man – seal her up, boys!" shouted the captain.

I glanced at Hiei, wondering when he would go. He probably wouldn't even say anything when he did. This sort of ceremony wasn't his style. He caught my gaze, and I turned away from him sharply. Totally awkward.

Shizuru glanced at me. "You're the one making it weird."

Was there a bubble above my head advertising my thoughts or something?

I caught Botan's arm. "Come on. Let's go inside. You look like you could use a nice cup of tea, Botan. Yukina, could you show us in?"

"Of course!" She took Botan's other arm and showed us up the steps inside. Shizuru followed behind us, lighting a cigarette. Botan continued sniffling, and I squeezed her elbow.

We went deeper into the dark house, and Yukina turned us into a room with a low table and a sliver of moonlight from the window. She turned on a lamp by the entrance and crossed the room to slide open the shoji to let in the night. "I'll be right back with some tea and snacks," Yukina announced, and left the room.

"Okay, come on, Botan, have a seat here." I guided her to the end of the table away from the open doors. Even though it had been warming up, there was still a chill in the evening. Shizuru and I sat on either side of her. "What's got you so worked up? Do you have feelings for him?"

"Jeez, Alice, just cut to the meat, why don't you?" Shizuru frowned. "Give poor Botan a chance to breathe."

I sunk in my seat. "Sorry. I'm an impatient person. Take your time, Botan."

She sniffed. "Well, I don't  _think_  so – especially since I really do care about Keiko so much. It's just that I've been his partner to the Spirit World for so long, and it's so dreadful to see him go. I really will miss him! I helped train him up into a proper spirit detective and now he's off to Demon World, and who  _knows_  if we'll ever see him again!"

"Ah, I see," I said, "not only is Yusuke your friend and partner, he was also your project in a way too. Maybe you feel a little maternal?"

"That's it," she sniffed. "I'll be fine in a bit though, don't you worry."

"Let's change the subject," Shizuru suggested, eyes falling on me. "Alice, did you tell Botan about your little encounter?"

"Not yet." I had forgotten to tell Botan when I last saw her at Shizuru's house – on the night Hiei and I broke up. I shifted and raised an eyebrow. "Guess who I ran into in Asaka?"

Botan leaned forward in interest. "Who?"

"Hagiri Kaname - Sniper," I clarified, seeing the blank look in Botan's fuchsia eyes. "It was totally weird, since he insisted on paying for my coffee, and then he took my cell phone and exchanged our contact information. He said it was all to annoy me, and maybe I would need his help or something with Hatton."

Botan frowned, right eyebrow furrowing. "You told him about Hatton?"

I shook my head. "Not in a lot of detail, just enough to let him know that someone was hell-bent on killing me." I folded my arms and stared at the pine tabletop. "I think he was actually a little concerned, but I get the feeling he was feeding his ego more than anything. He's got an interesting personality."

"How so?" Shizuru asked curiously, puffing on her cigarette.

"Hmm…willful? Not in a particularly overbearing, caveman way though – just a bit like a spoiled kid. I think he's kind in his own way, but he's probably too reserved to be completely genuine about it. He's the cool type. When he bought my coffee, he forced me to accept it. Like, in an aren't-I-great sort of way."

"Pfft! Hahaha!" Botan giggled. "What is that? How funny!"

Shizuru quirked a smile. "Has he emailed you at all?"

I shook my head. "Nope. No contact at all. It was a few weeks ago though, and I did yell that I wouldn't thank him for it as I ran out of the café."

The corners of Shizuru's mouth went up. "The cool type, huh?" She shared a knowing look with Botan. "I wonder if this is the beginning of a new relationship?"

I stared at her. "Don't be ridiculous. With  _Sniper?_  Ugh!" I shuddered.

Shizuru laughed at me. "Better than Tasaka Kenta."

I slammed my palm on top of the kotatsu. "Fuck that asshole! Seriously! Do you wanna know what he told me at graduation? He said he  _pitied me_  because I was going to Sato instead of Niiza! He's such a disgusting twat, and every time I see him, I want to  _kill him_. I really hope he flunks out of that place."

"Wasn't he the boy who slapped you in the face?" Botan wondered.

I nodded, remembering that Kurama still didn't know about that. I could never remember to tell him for some reason. Well, I really did want to knock Tasaka's teeth out myself.

"What an idiot," Shizuru remarked, crushing her cigarette in an ashtray.

"By the way, how are you doing, Shizuru?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable. It seemed like whenever we met up, we always ended up talking about me. "How's business?"

"Pretty good," she answered, shifting her weight and propping her arms on the table. "My client-base is growing, and I've gotten a few rich girls to sit in my chair. I'm sure they'll tell their friends all about me. Ah, by the way, you look due for a trim, Alice."

I fingered the end of a lock of hair. My layers  _were_  growing out, and the ends were starting to split. "All right. Text me later when you have your appointment book in front of you, and let me know a good time to come in."

Yukina swept back in the room with a large tea pot, four cups, and various snacks balanced on a tray. "I believe the others may be joining us. I'll fetch some more cups for the boys. Did we need anything else?"

"No, I don't think so. Do you need any help, Yukina?" I asked, getting to my feet.

"No, thanks! I know where everything is, so it's much easier this way," she said, waving me off and disappearing around the corner.

I sat back down, pulling my jacket tighter around me as a cool breeze blew through the sitting room. Botan arranged the cups around the table and Shizuru poured the tea. "It's chilly tonight," I remarked, taking the hot cup between my hands. "Tea is nice, but a hot toddy wouldn't be bad either."

Shizuru and Botan exchanged a look.

"What?" I frowned.

Botan shifted guiltily, looking away. Shizuru lit another cigarette and snapped her lighter closed, inhaling before she took it out of her mouth. I could tell she was stalling for some reason.

I straightened and gave them a scowl as I put my hands on my hips. "Well, say something! What are you hiding from me?"

"She's like a bloodhound," Shizuru remarked to Botan.

Botan suddenly slapped her hands on the table as she burst into guilt-ridden chattering. "Alice, I'm so, so sorry, but the last time we all drank together, Kurama came and gave us such an earful for letting you have so much to drink, and you know what he's like, right? He's so scary sometimes! I honestly don't know how you deal with it! He must have lectured the both of us for an hour and a half –  _while we were hungover_  – and I thought my poor ears would fall off and my head would split right down the middle! I can't do it again! I just can't! I'm so sorry! We can't drink together until you turn twenty, he said! It was so terrible! But the tea is nice, right? Right, Alice? I do hope you can –"

"Chill, Botan," Shizuru interrupted. She looked at me and shrugged. "Don't worry, Alice. You'll be twenty before you know it."

"What the fuck?" I asked, seeing black spots in my vision. "He got to you guys too?"

"Ah, I see you've heard the news," Kurama remarked calmly, appearing in the doorway with Kuwabara, Genkai, and Koenma.

I was on my feet and in his face in a heartbeat. "You – you..! I'm  _twenty-fucking-nine, you shithead!_  How dare you –"

I felt Shizuru grab my shoulders and she yanked me away from him and forced me to sit back down in front of my tea. "Come on, girl. You know it's for the best. I was starting to get a little worried anyway. Have some tea."

I felt my eyes burn as I gave Kurama a baleful look. "Why do you have to ruin  _everything?_ "

"Stop this pity party," Genkai said, sitting down and folding her legs. "You're upsetting the atmosphere. Just like a foreigner to not understand the Japanese concept of harmony."

" _So sorry_ ," I growled sarcastically. I turned and glared at my teacup, determining that I would just refuse to talk to anyone else for the night. And maybe tomorrow. I'd enjoy a nice self-imposed isolation. I was so angry and upset that I just wanted to go home.

The others settled around the table, and Yukina returned with another teapot and more cups for everyone. I noticed she had brought one too many, and figured it was for Hiei. I hoped he wouldn't show up. The last thing I needed was him giving me those lovely  _I-told-you-so_  eyes.

The fox totally had it out for me.

Yukina sat beside Genkai, looking around at us, and arranging a freshly cut pear on individual plates. "Botan, what have you been doing lately? I haven't seen you in awhile."

She bit into a rice cracker. "Oh, that's right – it has been ages, hasn't it? Aside from my work in Spirit World, I haven't had much time for anything else. We've been so busy trying to make up for Koenma-sama's missing presence. I'm surprised at the amount of work he does! Or…did do." She turned red as her ex-boss glared at her. "Oh, my, I'm just putting my foot in my mouth, aren't I?"

"Yes, Botan, you are," Koenma retorted flatly. "Of course I work hard! I have to work twice as hard the days George is in, too, since I have to make up for his mishaps and do the work of  _two_  people! He's dead weight! I'm glad I left Spirit World!" he complained in his cup. "Father wants to talk about punishing me, but it's all he's done for the last five-hundred years!"

"Speaking of your father," Kurama interjected, long fingertips tracing over the lip of his empty teacup, "has he made anymore decrees, apart from wanting Yusuke dead?"

Yukina refilled Kurama's cup as we waited for Koenma to answer.

Koenma's brown eyes zeroed in on Kurama. "Are you asking me if he's demanded your execution? No, he hasn't. You, Hiei, and Kuwabara seem to be safe, for the most part – but you're all definitely on thin ice. Father doesn't take disorder well. He's recognized that you four did save the Human World, but causing trouble for the SDF – especially when Kuwabara cut the kekkai barrier – didn't win you guys any brownie points."

Kuwabara's eyebrows mashed together. "Hey, I  _had_  to cut the barrier to get to Sensui! What, did he just want me to let that bastard go?! Sensui had to pay for what he did!"

"He did, Kuwabara, I agree," Koenma said, glancing at him. "And I would go so far as to say if we had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change much about what we did. We were in the right. Father is just being ridiculous right now." He examined his cup. "Here's hoping that he'll have calmed down in the next two-hundred years."

Kuwabara turned to Botan. "So, how has it been over there without Koenma? No offense to your dad or anything, Koenma, but he just sounds like a total jerk."

Botan heaved a sigh as Koenma snorted. "It's been busy. King Enma has all of us reapers working double-shifts, and I hardly have any time to relax! This is the first break I've had since Koenma-sama was banished."

"Ew, doubles," Kuwabara said, wrinkling his nose. "Don't you get weekends off or anything? Rotating shift work? Holiday pay?"

Botan laughed. "Holiday pay! Oh, goodness, that's rich!"

"Maybe you should go on strike," Shizuru suggested, half-serious, lighting another cigarette. "That's no way to treat your employees."

"Well, the idea has merit, Shizuru, but I do feel it's a bit irresponsible. If the reapers aren't there to collect souls, then the dead will wander where we can't find them later. I could send a petition around though," Botan muttered thoughtfully. "I know a lot of the ogres would sign it."

" _They_  would," Koenma grumbled. "They've got nothing to complain about. They don't do half the work the reapers do."

"It doesn't mean that they don't deserve to be treated well," Botan scolded. "Besides, it's nothing for you to worry about anymore."

Koenma sighed. "I suppose you're right. Yukina, could you slide that plate of pears a bit closer? I really do love them."

Yukina passed a plate to him and then handed one to me. "Alice, would you like some?" she offered with a heart-melting smile.

I was defenseless against her charm, and even though I wanted to sulkily refuse and slink into the nearest closet, I found myself taking the sliced pears from her anyway. "Thanks," I muttered.

I nibbled on the pears and moodily sipped the cooling tea, half-listening to the others chat around me. I felt, rather than watched, Kurama move closer to me on my end of the table. His elbow brushed my arm as he used a toothpick to drop his last slice of pear on my plate.

"A peace offering," he said.

I wanted to laugh at him, but I felt like if I opened my mouth I would cry instead. It's not that I wanted to cry about not having booze for the next five years, although that definitely pissed me off beyond words - I was mostly angry about him going behind my back and manipulating my friends and my life again. I didn't think I could endure much more, honestly.

"Alice?" he asked, waiting for me to say something.

I caught Shizuru and Genkai glancing at me from the corner of my eye. Genkai was drawn back into whatever conversation was happening, but Shizuru watched me a moment longer, concerned.

I turned to look at Kurama. His face was inches away from mine, in a way that made me feel cornered. "Why don't you write up a list of decrees you want me to follow, Kurama?" I gave him as diplomatic a smile I could manage. "Since you've conquered my life, I'd like to know what I can and cannot do before the rug gets pulled from under me again. Should I assume all my friends are compromised? Do you want to check my journal every day to make sure I'm staying in those narrow little lines you've drawn around me?"

His hand went around my wrist and he got up and pulled me with him. He gave the others a smile when the conversation lulled in suspense. "Alice and I are going for a short walk. Don't mind us."

"Okay," they muttered uncertainly.

I let him lead me out of the sitting room, trying to detach myself from any feelings at all. I refused to cry in front of him again like I did last time. He was the enemy. I had to start hiding my weaknesses much, much better.

He stopped short, and I almost walked into him. When he turned around, his mouth was in a tight frown, and his forest green eyes roved over my face. "I'm not sorry. I won't apologize. I've warned you over and over again about your drinking, and it's time you get yourself together," he lectured, tone hard. "You have a serial killer after you, Alice. Keeping you safe isn't always synonymous with making you happy."

I let out a baleful sigh. "Are you seriously lecturing me right now? Let go of me." I twisted my arm out of his grasp. "I'm tired of this."

"Don't you think I'm tired of this too?" he demanded quietly, eyes hardening as he looked down at me. He folded his arms. "There isn't anyone but me here. Yusuke's gone, Hiei's leaving, and Kuwabara has his own life. I'm the only one left to keep you safe. I'm not requesting your appreciation, but your cooperation would at least be useful."

"I  _am_  cooperating!" I snapped, throwing my arms to my sides and scowling deeply at him. "I'm waiting for you to pick me up at school, and I don't go running, to Shizuru's, or to the café without you, and I stay in the house all day when you're not around! I'm not fucking stupid – you know where I am all the time, and I don't really get why you think you possibly need to exert any  _more_  control over my life when Hatton's doing plenty on his own! Why – " I stopped myself, knowing that I was getting worked up and close to letting myself show some sort of vulnerability to him. I almost asked him why he couldn't let me be. I steeled myself. "I'm done. I don't want to talk about this anymore. If you want me to do or not do something, then sit down and talk to me like an adult. Stop manipulating my friends."

His mouth went in a line. "Well, then. Can you agree to be open to other future discussions about your behavior? Meaning that you're willing to sit down and listen to what I have to say?"

I bit back a ripping retort and forced myself to nod.  _Only if the same goes for you, honey_ , I thought snidely. I wouldn't show him any more of my true feelings. If he wanted to be cold and calculating, I would be distant and diplomatic. I needed his help, but I didn't want to be any closer to him than I had to be. "Is that it?" I asked, taking a step back from him.

"Yes, I suppose," he replied, watching me with a small spark of interest. He probably thought my sudden self-censorship was amusing, if not outright relieving.

"Then I'm going to bed," I told him, wrapping my arms around myself. The nighttime chill was creeping in the house, and I wanted nothing more than to snuggle under a nice quilt and plot more ways to distance myself from Kurama. And also revenge. Revenge would be nice. "Good night," I told him.

"Good night, Alice," he answered, mouth pulling into a slight smile. I almost felt sorry for him. He had no idea how angry I was at him, but it was probably for the best. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.

I turned and went into my bedroom for the night, sliding the shoji shut behind me. Another chill went through me, and I found myself wishing for another big cup of tea, or a huge sweater, or like, the Caribbean or something. I dug a jacket out of my overnight bag and turned off the light, burrowing in the futon.

I was dozing when the shoji was flung open in a violent  _bang_ , and I was yanked out of bed and hauled over a shoulder. Kurama's red hair got in my mouth as I started to complain – "What in the  _actual fuck –_ " but he shushed me and backed out of the room carefully, warily. He set me down, backing me behind him. I saw him tentatively sniff the air in the shadowed hallway.

"What's going on?" I whispered. I couldn't sense anyone there at all.

Kurama reached for me, catching my hand. "Come. This way." He silently led me back to the sitting room, where everyone was still sitting around the table. They had turned off the lights, and only a few candles and the bright moonlight lit the room.

Kuwabara was standing in the doorway facing the porch, his back to us. He was rigid, like a dog waiting for a rabbit to move.

"Anything?" Kurama asked him.

"I can sense Hiei tracking it off in the distance. I didn't even sense it until it was right on us. How close did it get?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama's hand tightened around mine. "Whatever it was, demon or otherwise, made it to her window before I could even hear or smell it. Master Genkai, what exactly is your compound warded against? Not demons, clearly."

"Killing intent," Genkai answered, her brown eyes gleaming over her steaming cup of tea. "I'm an old woman with a lot of enemies, after all. Whatever made it that far didn't intend to kill her."

"But harm her? Kidnap her?" Kurama pressed, green eyes turning icy in the dark. His nails dug into the tender skin of the inside of my wrist.

"Wards are never perfect, Kurama," Genkai countered, eyebrows going up. "If someone is strong enough to drag me off this property to kill me, then I deserve to die for being so weak. Alice is in your custody. You decide to do what you will. She may be safer with you, right in Yomi's reach."

"I can at least defend myself against demons," I said bitterly.

Kurama hardened his jaw. "It's possible I'll need to look into other alternatives." His eyes flicked to me. "Perhaps you would be safer in the Makai, provided you can handle the air."

"If Hatton can, then surely I can," I answered. "Even if I weren't from my universe, I still have the shroud of holy energy around me – and it only grows the more I use it."

"It's certainly bigger and brighter than the average person's," Genkai agreed. "If Kuwabara was able to stay in the Makai with his own personal energy protecting him, even if it was for only about two hours, you could likely stay indefinitely. But, that's just my two cents," she said, lifting her teacup and sipping.

"I'll send word to Yomi," Kurama murmured, relaxing his hand around mine as he sunk deeper in his thoughts.

* * *


	30. New Obsession

**Alice Alive**

**By, KKYOKO**

**Chapter Thirty: New Obsession**

* * *

_Well you taste like whiskey and you smell like smoke,_

_Drowning in your words as soon as you spoke,_

_Trying to find a different direction,_

_I'm drawn to you – my new obsession,_

_No one's taken me away, the way you did,_

_No one's taken me away,_

_Cloud my mind, my dime, my lime light, delayed me from flight,_

_Unable to see from wrong to right,_

_Try to find a different direction,_

_I'm drawn to you – my new obsession._

_-Carly M. Burns_

* * *

It was raining on Wednesday. There were even darker clouds in the distance, and I found myself checking my phone for the weather. I probably needed wait in the school for Kurama to pick me up, since I didn't bring an umbrella. I stood by the window in the corridor, waiting for the weather app to load.

I glanced outside again, watching the students who got caught in the rain race inside, down the street, or put up their umbrellas. The courtyard was drenched, and the rain was so heavy that the footpath was turning into a small lake. I made out a black Audi driving past the school, windshield wipers flying, heaved a sigh, and glanced down at my phone.

Yup. Rain all day. I sent a text to Kurama, asking him what he wanted me to do.

 _Stay inside and wait_ , he answered.  _I have day duty, but I'll finish that quickly._

I sighed again, and looked back out the window wistfully. I wanted to go home,  _now_. A nice cup of hot tea, and a nifty fantasy novel I picked up the other day would be really nice. Sitka would curl up next to me –

The same black Audi drove past the school gates again, slowing to a stop. I watched warily for a few minutes, but no one got out. Maybe it was someone's manager, or chauffer. There  _were_ a lot of rich kids in the school…

But then it slowly drove off again. I relaxed, but I decided to keep an eye on the road – both for Kurama and that car. It gave me an uneasy feeling. I had to go back to the classroom and get my bag. Chewing my lip, I slid open the door and picked up my bag from the side of my desk. Usui Nanami was wiping off the chalkboard, while another girl swept the floor.

"Ah, Minamino-chan," Usui said, turning slightly as she continued to erase the notes from the last class, "could you bring the day book to Kitani-sensei please?"

"Sure," I answered, picking it up from the podium in front of the classroom. "It's raining cats and dogs. Be careful going home, you two."

"You too, Minamino-chan," the other girl answered, looking up from her work, smiling.

"Bye," I said, waving and shutting the shoji behind me. The staff office was in the middle of the school, past the first inner courtyard, but there were pavilions to protect the walkways from the rain. It was probably possible that I would have to swim across - there  _was_  a flash flood warning on my phone.

I glanced out at the front gates again, just to check, but I didn't see the car. Maybe they were trying to pick up someone, but they had the wrong school. There was a Seto High on the outskirts of Asaka, but that theory didn't totally make sense, since Seto was just a normal high school with lower middle-class students. Not that Audis were  _that_  ritzy, but it doesn't seem like anyone would necessarily pick up a student like that in a country where cars were a bit of a luxury.

I went outside with my guard up, day book tucked in my arm, and my fist around my phone. If I needed a weapon, there were baseball bats in the gym. I should text Kurama again, but I was about to enter an office full of teachers. I just had to hand in the day book quickly and find a place in the gym to watch the road and possibly hide.

I slid open the door, leaving my phone in my pocket, and strode around the corner to Kitani-sensei's desk. He was hunched over, grading a stack of papers, eyeglasses slipping down his nose. Silently, I set the day book on the corner of his desk, trying to avoid any unnecessary conversation.

He looked up, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Ah, Minamino, I thought Usui was on day duty."

"She is," I said, flashing a smile, "I was just asked to bring this by."

"Oh, well, since you're here, I wanted to talk to you about your essay on the Kanagawa Treaty. I was really impressed by the amount of research you put into it, actually. Your point of view was quite refreshing too, telling it from the western side –"

"Ah, sorry, I tried to stay objective, sensei –"

He waved his hand. "No, it was, certainly, but I impressed mostly by the way you tied trading and the beginning of the Industrial Era in the west together. You touched on some interesting points in history. Have you ever thought about tutoring? Or teaching? I could use some help with some students who are falling behind in class. You're actually one of the top students – although, you are contending with Usui."

"Um," I said, feeling a mixture of pleasure and despair, "I'll think about it. I'm sorry, I have to go, sensei. My brother –" I swallowed a feeling of disgust "- is picking me up. Thank you for reading my essay!" I turned and darted out of the office, back under the pavilion. The rain was still pouring down, smelling of ozone, and it was loud as it hit the tin roof above me.

The gym was to my left. I broke for it and dashed across the courtyard. Rain splattered on me, but when I got inside of the building, I realized it wasn't quite as bad as it could be. I was only a little damp, but my shoes were soaked. I took them off and hid them behind a convenient mop bucket. I couldn't put them with the other shoes, since my name was on them.

I started upstairs, listening to some boys playing basketball in the gym. There were some girls in there too, chattering excitedly. I got to the landing and circled around the second floor corridor, spotting the equipment closet to the left of a wide set of windows. The western side of the building faced the road, and I stared hard outside, looking for anything suspicious. I only saw stragglers, students who had just finished their day duties and didn't have any club activities. Their umbrellas gleamed with rain as they disappeared from the gates. The road was empty.

Maybe I had overreacted.

I checked my phone to see if Kurama had sent me a text yet. He usually told me when he was leaving his school, but there wasn't anything so far. I figured he should have been finished by now. I checked my email and waited for something.

I glanced back outside. The black Audi was back.

I jumped away from the window and stood to the side, so I couldn't be seen from the road. I panicked for a second, nearly dropping my phone. My phone, my phone – I hit Kurama's number from my contact list. It rang, and rang, but I ended up with his voicemail.

"There's a black Audi outside of Sato – it's driven by three times now, and," I peeked around the window, "fuck, someone's coming out. Two guys in suits –  _nice_  suits. They look like fucking yakuza." I squinted harder in through the rain. One of them had a  _rifle_  (Jesus Christ –  _a gun_ ) with a scope on it, but it didn't look quite normal. "I think they have a tranquilizer gun. Kurama,  _hurry_." I hung up the phone.

The guy on the left put the scope up to his eye, while the other guy held an umbrella over the gun.

I backed away from the window, but it was too late. I heard the shot as he fired it, and the window shattered, blowing glass over the gym. The guys playing basketball shouted in alarm, and the girls screamed. I felt my cheek burn, and knew there was a cut there. There was also a deep slice in my arm from a flying chunk of plated glass.

"Fuck," I hissed, holding my arm. I got away from the window, darting around the balcony. I flew down the stairs, knowing I couldn't stay here any longer. I was just putting the other students in danger. I had to get some help getting out of here. A baseball bat was  _far_  too close for a fight.

I paused on the landing, trying Kurama again as I pulled on my shoes. He still didn't answer. Shit.

"Minamino! Hey, were you just up – are you okay?!" It was the manager of the basketball club. He was wide-eyed. The club members and their cheerleaders crowded around him in shock.

"I'm going to the infirmary," I lied. "You guys should get out of here. A branch just blew through the window up there. Don't go home until it clears up."

"I'll take you to the infirmary," the manager insisted, reaching for me.

"No, just get out of here. It's too dangerous to stick around. I have to grab my clothes from the changing room anyway."

The club members and the girls darted out into the rain, heading into the school. The manager stood still, waiting. "I'll stay."

My hand, bloody from holding the cut on my arm, snapped out and wrenched his shirt up. "Look," I spat. "When I tell you to get the fuck out of here, fucking do it. I tried to be nice, but if you don't get out of here now, I'll knock you into  _next week_. Do you understand?"

He swallowed, nodding. I let go of him, and he ran out of the gym. I was probably going to pay for that later.

I tried Kurama one last time. Still nothing.

The next person on my list was Kuwabara, even if he was busy, I knew he would still come and help me if I could get ahold of him. The phone rang. I got his voicemail too. I tried Shizuru, but I doubted she would answer because she was working. I was right.

I heard the gun pop off again, and another window above the gym exploded.

 _Hiei?_  I tried. But I could tell he wasn't in range. He hadn't been in days.

There had to be  _someone_. I scrolled through the contacts of my phone, listening hard at the door in case someone else came in. They would start making their way into the school as soon as they finished testing the security. Kurama had plants here and there, but without him around, I doubted they would be very effective. There was also the coupling fact that these guys were likely psychics, as well as yakuza. The police would probably be useless.

My vision blurred as my eyes burned, but I swallowed down my nerves. I would be fine. Even if there wasn't anyone –

 _Hagiri Kaname_.

I hit the call button before I could even comprehend what I was doing. It rang, and I bit my lip as it went on, but –

"This is a surprise," he remarked casually as he picked up.

"Can you help me?" I blurted out, voice shaking. "I'm sorry, I tried everyone else, and they didn't answer their phones –"

"What's wrong?" he asked seriously. "Where are you?"

"Sato – it's down the road from your school, right? There are these yakuza with a rifle, two guys, plus a driver probably. They're trying to capture or kill me – I'm not sure which. I thought they had a tranquilizer gun, but they shot out two windows in the gym with it."

"How close can you get to your school's gate?" he asked.

"They're right outside of it. I think they're just testing the security now, but I'm pretty sure they spotted me in the scope of the gun. They'll probably come onto campus soon."

"Are you in the gym?"

"Yes."

"Stay there. I'm coming. Don't go out into the open, and don't come out until I say so." I heard the background noise of school life, and then the sound of rain as he went outside. "I'll be there in two minutes."

I sniffed. "Okay."

We hung up, and I crept across the floor of the gym, peering through the small window in the front door. The yakuza were still out there, waiting in the rain, looking around in the scope. I ducked down again before they could see me, and listened for Kaname's motorcycle.

My heart was racing, and I clenched and unclenched my fists nervously.

A bang came from the opposite side of the gym, the side facing towards the school, and I jumped and ducked behind a pile of mats. I heard someone's heavy footsteps come in.

"Minamino! Are you in here? Shiina said you were injured." It was Kitani-sensei, but I wasn't about to come out. "What a mess. Minamino! Hello?" He sighed, mumbling to himself. I caught the word 'infirmary', so he'd probably go check there next. Good. His footsteps disappeared, and the door slammed shut behind him.

A roaring engine grew louder as it approached, and I knew Kaname had finally arrived. I sat up and went back to the front-facing door, peeping out of the window again. The rain was still pounding the road, so everything had a haze of grey, but Kaname's flashy blue Honda was hard to miss behind the black Audi.

The yakuza were in a crumpled pile on the ground, already dispatched, and I could see the driver slumped over the wheel of the car. Kaname pulled out his cell phone, hunching over it so it wouldn't get wet. I got a text a second later.

_Come out. It's safe._

I straightened my bag over my shoulder, flung the door open, and darted across the walkway to the school gates. I leapt over the prone bodies, the rifle, and let Kaname catch my hand. The smell of his Burberry cologne was a welcome one, and I ran with him across the street to his motorcycle.

"We have to get away from here," he said, climbing in the seat of his bike. "Get on, I'll take you to my place. They won't be expecting that."

I got on behind him, already drenched from the rain, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He kicked his bike into first gear, then second, and we took off down the street. I could feel the remains of his territory attached to his aura, and sensed his psychic energy laced throughout his motorcycle. I didn't have to worry about us sliding around in the rain.

My heart was still racing, and I was still shaking, so I held on to Kaname tighter as we got out of Asaka and headed to Mushiori. The rain poured harder, and I had no idea how Kaname could even see anything. I was still panicking. I couldn't believe – I mean, I knew I was in danger, but I didn't expect fucking  _yakuza_.

Kaname started to slow down as we got into a really residential area of Mushiori. I bit my lip, eyes darting around at the neat houses. I was probably safe enough here, but I wanted Kurama. I couldn't believe I actually wanted him. Right now.

He was going to be mad at me for leaving the school, probably.

Kaname turned down a small side street and pulled into a short driveway. He killed the engine and put down the stand. He helped me off, and as he pulled away, I realized I was freezing. Getting soaked and then going fifty miles an hour on a motorcycle was probably a  _great_  recipe for pneumonia. Kaname must have been cold too, since he pulled me close against his side. I didn't mind huddling together as he led me up the walk to his house.

It was a simple, modern two-story. There was a garage beside the house, with stairs leading up to an apartment. I figured that his parents had been renting or something, but Kaname led me up the stairs instead of into the house.

"I live up here," he told me quickly, jiggling a key in the lock and pushing the door open. "My younger brother and I needed to have separate rooms a few years ago. My mom was afraid we would kill each other. Come on in."

I slipped past him, glancing around his room. It wasn't really so much an apartment as a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. Kaname obviously didn't clean much – it was a little dusty, dirty clothes were strewn here and there on the floor. There were a few dirty dishes lying around too. The walls were lined with bookcases, and every single one of them was crammed with novels. His desk was the tidiest part of the bedroom, with only a half-finished mug of coffee, a black spiral notebook, and a laptop lying on the surface.

"You can take a bath first, if you want," he offered, pointing me in the direction of the bathroom to the left. "I'll get some fresh clothes for you. They'll have to be mine though. My sister is really possessive of her stuff."

"Thank you," I said, really meaning it. I sniffed. "Kaname, seriously. Thank you for helping me out and coming to get me and – and –" I was on the verge of tears. I was starting to finally come down from my panic, and I was just so  _grateful_.

"You don't have to cry about it," he said, smiling slightly, hand coming to rest on my head. "Go get warm. You had a shitty day."

I let out a sharp laugh. "Tell me about it."

* * *

I only spent about ten minutes in the tub, long enough to warm myself in the very hot water, and long enough to feel uncomfortable being naked in the same vicinity of a guy I barely knew. Kaname had passed some clothes to me - a t-shirt and his school gym shorts, and I got dressed and quickly let him have his turn in the bathroom. He closed the door, and I heard him start the water a few minutes later.

My bag was by the door where I had left it. It was soaked through from the ride over, and I scowled as I pulled out a wet textbook and my folder full of unfinished geometry worksheets. Maybe if I laid everything out in my room, everything would dry out all right. I dug out my cellphone, hoping that it didn't drown too.

I could see water trapped in the in case, and I fished it out, patting it dry with the hem of my borrowed shirt. I noticed that while I had been in the bath, Kaname had consolidated his dirty clothes in a laundry basket and put his dirty dishes on top of them to take down to the house later.

I hit the button to take my phone out of hibernation, and I was rewarded with a screen full of missed call notifications from Kurama, along with several text messages demanding to know my whereabouts. I quickly called him back, hoping he would actually answer this time.

"Alice?" he greeted, tone sharp.

"It's me," I answered, "I'm all right. Kaname helped me out, and I'm at his house now in Mushiori. What happened with you? Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"Hagiri helped you?" There was a note of surprise and slight indignation. "Are you all right? Really all right?"

I felt my eyes burn. "As well as can be expected," I said thickly. "He really came through for me – don't worry. I'm safe now."

He made a soft humming noise. "Well then, to answer your question, after finishing the day duties, I had a request from a teacher to help him grade papers from another class. I had my phone switched to silent, and I wasn't able to check it at all, since he and I were working at right across from each other."

Behind me, the bathroom door cracked open. "Hey. I brought the first aid kit up for you. It's on the desk. If you don't wanna do it yourself, I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay, thanks," I called to him. He shut the door again.

"Are you injured?" Kurama asked me in my ear. "How badly?"

"I've got a couple of cuts from a broken window, but it's nothing your salve can't handle. Did you see the yakuza in front of the school? Are they still there?"

"I saw them, and of course not. Hagiri didn't kill them, but I saw fit to  _kindly_  rid them of their existence. Their bodies are gone too, so there's nothing to send back to Hatton. He'll likely assume the worst, and will be more discrete in the future. I'm surprised that no one noticed them right in front of the school. Had everyone already gone home?"

"Yeah, mostly." I wasn't that upset about Kurama killing the yakuza. In fact, I'm glad he did. I hope Hatton got the message not to fuck with us. "What'd you do with their car?"

"It had a rather terrible accident off the side of a mountain. It's a shame about the excellent gas mileage. The car will burn for hours." He paused. "By the way, I guess it doesn't really matter now, but I have your umbrella – you forgot it when we left the house this morning and ran off before I could give it to you."

"Well, I'm dry now. If you stop by the house before you pick me up, will you bring a change of clothes though? My uniform and everything underneath it was soaked through."

He made a noise in his throat that I thought sounded slightly disapproving. "Of course. You rode on his motorcycle again, in a downpour this time, didn't you?"

"It's not my fault you weren't crafty enough to get out of grading papers, sensei. It'd be pretty hard to crash when he's driving anyway – or did you forget that everything he touches can be controlled by his telekinesis?"

"Don't expect me to pity you when you catch a cold," Kurama retorted.

"I don't want your pity to begin with. Are you on your way or not?"

"It would help immensely if I had the address, Alice."

I got up and crossed the bedroom. "Hey, Kaname," I said through the door, "what's your address, please?"

He opened the door, letting out a puff of steam, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. His lavender eyes zeroed in on my still-not bandaged cut on my cheek. "Block 5, number 12."

"It's the apartment above the garage," I added, knowing that Kurama caught the address over the phone. I smoothly turned away from Kaname's chiseled torso. "Where are you now?"

"I'm just getting to the house. I'll be at the Mushiori station in about twenty minutes."

"Okay. I'll see you in about a half-hour then."

"If that." He hung up.

I set my phone on Kaname's desk, while he rustled around in his wardrobe, and I opened the first aid kid. It was packed full of bandages, antiseptic, and the like. There was even an epi-pen. "Are you allergic to something?" I asked him.

"My sister's allergic to strawberries," he answered, pulling his shorts up under his towel. He pulled on a t-shirt, and tossed the towel over the pile in the laundry basket. "Need some help?"

"Er, yeah. Unless you have a mirror."

He crossed the room and pushed his laptop to the side of his desk, dropping his notebook on top of it. He patted the cleared corner. "Hop on."

I hesitated, but figured that since he was much taller than me, and if we just stood, he would have to hunch over uncomfortably to tend to my cuts. I sat on his desk with a straight back, and he rummaged in the box for some peroxide.

"This is deeper than I thought," he remarked, pressing a damp cotton ball to my cheek. His fingertips nudged my chin, and I tipped my face up obligingly. "It might scar."

"It won't," I insisted, glancing away from his studious expression to examine his bookcases. "You read a lot of sci-fi."

"It scares my mom." From this distance, I could smell his soap and shampoo. I could even feel the remains of the hot bath radiating from him.

My knuckles brushed his laptop. "Well, do you write at all? You have that shut-in, eccentric, writer look about you. No offense – it's kind of attractive, actually."

He pulled back with a suppressed smirk. "I've written a few things. Next time, I'll let you read something, if you want. Hold still while I put these butterfly bandages on you."

I did as he said, and watched his hands move, feeling dazed. The panic and fear I had been feeling earlier seemed so far away now. It was quiet in his room, with only the sound of the rain hitting the roof and the occasional car passing by to break the silence. It was strangely comfortable. His fingertips brushed my cheek, and I relaxed under him like a cat.

"You've calmed down a lot." He pushed up the sleeve of the borrowed t-shirt, and rubbed the stinging cut on my arm.

"I feel safe here," I told him, letting my eyes shut. "It feels like another world in here."

"Mm, does it? I was talking about around me though. You were still pretty skittish in the café, the last time I saw you." I felt him press and smooth a larger bandage over my skin.

"You're not the enemy anymore, Kaname," I said, opening my eyes and looking at him. His hands were back by his sides, and he was watching me with a furrowed brow. "You came and helped me when you didn't have to." I reached out and grasped his wrist. "I'm really grateful. I mean it."

His palm touched the side of my uninjured face, warming my cheek underneath it. "You want some coffee?" he asked, dropping his hand and crouching down in front of the end table by the desk. He opened the basket of the coffee maker sitting on top of it, frowning at the old grounds. "I've got a dark roast from that café in Asaka."

"Oh, I'd love some," I said, crossing my ankles as I watched him dump out the grounds in a nearby waste-bin and refill the brewing basket. He grabbed the pot and went into the bathroom to get water from the sink. "Is it okay that I'm up here?" I called to him, swinging my feet. "Your mom and dad won't get mad at you, will they?"

He shut the water off and came out with a pot full of water. "It's just my mom, but she stays pretty busy with her job. She travels a lot, so we don't see her much." He lifted the back of the coffee maker and dumped the water inside of it. He turned it on, straightening up, and looked around his room. "Hold on a sec, I have to rinse a couple mugs out." He snagged a couple dirty ones lying around and went back into the bathroom.

"It must be hard on you," I said when he came back out of the bathroom, holding the now clean and dry mugs. He set them on the desk and gave me a curious look. "I mean, you're the oldest, aren't you? You have to look out for your siblings. I know what it's like."

Kaname shrugged, giving a slight smile. "It's not that bad. They're old enough now that they can be pretty self-sufficient. Anyway, my sister's the one who's really in charge, and she knows it too." He pulled out the desk chair and sat down, stretching his arms over his head. "I thought Kurama was older than you."

"Well," I nibbled on my lip, "I guess he's been alive longer, but I'm still eight months older than he is."

"You know that makes no sense, right?"

So while the coffee brewed, I told Kaname the whole thing. From my death, to my appearance, to Hatton, and a  _little_  bit about Kurama's background; I told him just enough for it to come together. I'm sure Kaname probably already had some intelligence from Sensui about Kurama's powers, so I skimmed over that. In fact, I tried not to tell him a lot about Kurama to begin with – Kurama wouldn't have appreciated it at all. I kept it about me.

Kaname listened without saying anything, pouring the coffee and handing me my cup. After I finished, he hunched over in his chair and looked up at me, still sitting on the desk. "How's the coffee?"

My mouth curled in a smile. He was stalling to give himself time to come up with a response. "It's great. Delicious and hot."

He set his cup down on the floor between his feet and stretched his arms out in front of him. "So…what was your life like, before Hatton killed you? I'm guessing you had siblings?"

"Two younger sisters," I answered, feeling my heart ache. "Honestly, it feels like  _they're_  the ones who died. My parents, my friends – they're all some place I'll never see again. I've never stopped missing them. Not for one second."

"I would have liked to meet them. I bet you look like your mom," he said, picking up his mug and sitting back in his chair.

"I do look like her, actually. What about you? Who do you look like?"

Kaname's mouth made a downturned motion, a semblance of a scowl, with an edge of disgust.  _Oops, a landmine_.

"My dad," he answered quietly.

I couldn't help myself. "Is he still alive?"

"He left when I was thirteen. He had a new family started and everything at that point. I think they live in Kyoto now – I haven't heard from him in years."

"What a shitty guy."

"Yeah."

We fell into a pregnant silence for the next few minutes. I felt closer to him, now that I knew a little more about him. "You don't have to answer this, if this isn't okay to ask…but…do you think your dad is the reason you teamed up with Sensui? Was he like a father figure to you?"

Kaname shrugged. "Probably. Sensui just caught me at a point where I wasn't satisfied with the way things were going. And I did look up to him - if not like a dad, then at least a mentor. He was there for me. He was there for all of us – until he wasn't."

I sipped my coffee. The mug warmed my hands. "Do you regret trusting him?"

"Yeah. It wasn't until everything was over that I realized he was just like my dad. He was there when it was convenient for him, and only when he needed me for something." He let out a long breath of air. "I don't ever want to be an adult like that."

"I don't think you could be like that," I told him, smiling. "You're far too empathetic."

"Hmm. Thanks for saying so." He flashed a wan half-smirk over his coffee mug, and finished his coffee off. He picked up the half-full pot. "Need a refill?"

My coffee was half-gone, but I could still drink some more. I held my mug out to him. "Top me off?"

"Sure."

After he sat back down, I asked him to show me his arm where I had bit him. He held out his arm as he sipped his coffee, letting me turn it over in my hands. The mark I had left on him was completely healed by now, but it was still puckered pink in some places, and white in others. I could easily see the outline of my teeth, although it wouldn't be noticeable from a distance. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be," I told him, running a fingertip over the scar. "I'm glad it's not that obvious."

Kaname's shoulders hunched when I brushed the sensitive skin of his wrist, and slowly lowered. "It's not, but my friend Shigure noticed it the other day."

"What'd you tell him?" I asked, letting go of his arm and sitting back on the desk.

"Said a crazy girl just came up and bit me."

I tried not to smile over my coffee cup. "If he's your best friend, he probably knows you're full of it."

Kaname's throat expanded as a surprised laugh came out. "He definitely knows. I've been telling him shit like that for years."

An insistent knock came at the door, cutting through the pleasant atmosphere and the sound of rainfall.

Kaname gave the door a frown. He glanced back at me. "Must be Kurama."

I could sense his youki. "It is."

He crossed the room, and I hopped off the desk as he opened the door. Kurama was standing in the doorway, still in his school uniform, closing his umbrella as Kaname stepped aside to let him in.

His green eyes zeroed on me immediately, giving me a quick once over before he held out a bag in his hand. His sigh was one of relief, but he grew businesslike and tart. "Your clothes. Go get dressed. We have to hurry back to the house."

I took the bag and ducked into the bathroom to change. Kurama had brought me a pair of fitted denim shorts and a chiffon floral print shirt, along with a new bra and panties. I tried not to think about him digging through my underwear drawer, as I stripped Kaname's clothes off and pulled on my own. I also found a blue boyfriend cardigan and my pair of yellow pumps in the bag. It was a rather interesting clothing combination, but totally pleasing to the eye. Maybe I should have Kurama pick out my clothes more often.

I went back out to find Kaname and Kurama talking about the attack, and I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"I appreciate your help, Hagiri," Kurama said, sticking his hand out for Kaname to shake.

Kaname took it, glancing at me. "No problem. If you need me, let me know."

I could see Kurama's hand tense ever so slightly around Kaname's, but he dropped his grip before Kaname could notice. "I'll keep your offer in mind. Let's go, Alice."

I slipped on my heels in front of the door and took my umbrella from Kurama. "Thanks again, Kaname. I'll see you around."

"Text me to let me know you made it back all right," he said, eyes roving over me. He gave me a slight smile.

"I will."

Kurama closed the door behind me and we put the umbrellas up to fend off the rain. He took my hand and led me down the steps to the street. I glanced back up at Kaname's room to find him watching from the window beside the door. I gave him a smile before Kurama tugged me around the corner and out of sight.

Kurama stopped as soon as we were around the corner, turning to me with his mouth in a line, as he looked me over. He tipped my chin to examine the cut on my cheek. "I'm grateful that you weren't more seriously injured. Even this is too much. Are you in any pain?"

My arm stung a little, but it wasn't worth mentioning. "I'm fine."

A dark look passed over his face, and the panic I had felt from earlier resurfaced. I had been in a bit of a daze while I was safely tucked away with Kaname in his room, but now I felt the full brunt of paranoia seep into my stomach. Between Kurama's hard green eyes, the cold rain, and being in the former warzone of Mushiori, I had to fight to swallow my nerves. It was like being reminded all over again that my life could end at any moment.

"You're tense," Kurama remarked. He moved closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Come here. We'll walk together. We'll be at the station before you know it, and not soon after that we'll be home. I'll make a cup of tea for you when we get back."

"I'm afraid to go to school tomorrow," I admitted. "What if something else happens?"

"I highly doubt he would make a move like that again so soon," Kurama said. "But the two of us being in separate schools for most of the day is certainly a weak point in the security. Even if I post demonic plants as guards, they aren't very discriminatory, and someone can infiltrate the school as a teacher or a student easily. I think we've come to a point where I must teach you some extra self-defense. Carrying a weapon with you wouldn't go amiss either."

"Can I stay home tomorrow anyway? Please?" I begged, feeling my eyes burn.

I heard him inhale, and I knew he could smell the tears before they came out. "We're you really that frightened? You aren't normally –" he stopped, looking surprised for a moment as a thought occurred to him. His eyes were softer than usual when he turned to me. "You're terrified of humans, aren't you?"

I sniffed. "Can you blame me?"

He pulled me closer to him as a car passed us on the street, and squeezed me in a warm hug. I wrapped my arms around him, digging my fingers into his uniform, pressing my face into his warm shoulder. He patted my back and tucked my head under his chin, answering me in a soft murmur. "Not at all. I just find it a bit ironic, considering you are one. You've had a long day. Why don't we save this discussion for tomorrow morning?"

"All right," I said, submitting, still clinging to him. He would probably make me go to school no matter what. At the very least, going would show Hatton that he couldn't scare me. Maybe I should suck it up after all. I gave another sniff and let go of him, straightening my back.

We got home relatively quickly, before Shiori had even come home from work, and I pulled out my phone as soon as we walked in. Kurama sent me a curious glance, eyebrow arching slightly on Kaname's name. I ignored it, and shot Kaname a quick text to let him know we made it back safely.

Kurama's hand went around the strap of my bag to tug it off my shoulder, turning me with it. "How about that tea?"

I gave him a wary look, but followed him into the kitchen. He was probably going to bring up Kaname. He was probably going to tell me not to get involved with someone. He was probably going to tell me that I would be stupid to bring someone into this mess.

But he didn't. He just put the kettle on the burner and started prepping the tea. He brought up the coming wedding instead. "Mother said that they've picked out a venue on the other side of town. It's the little white church by the grocery store."

"She wants a western ceremony?" I asked, puzzled. I hadn't been paying much attention to the planning lately, what with being a serial killer's target and all. Paying attention in school was hard enough.

"Yes. She finds them terribly endearing. Have you ever been to a wedding like that in your old life?"

"Only constantly. A lot of the people I graduated with got married right out of high school, but that's small town Texas for you. Crazy Bible-thumping Baptists – there's a reason I moved out to Austin by myself at eighteen. Mama couldn't stand it either, but she preferred living in the country rather than the city."

"What about your father?"

I gave him a smirk. "Mama was Queen. Daddy went with whatever she wanted."

"I pity your father, in that case. Do you think you could offer Mother some help with planning the wedding? I think she would be more than pleased to have you involved." Kurama set the teapot in the middle of the table and poured me a cup.

"You know I'm not crafty. I don't do crafts." I took the cup from him, catching a whiff of jasmine and orange peel. "I don't have patience for scissors and glue and  _glitter_." It didn't really make a difference that I was in art school – it wasn't about talent so much as the patience to painstakingly glue, craft, or sew.

"I remember your macaroni pictures in primary school, Alice. I'm aware of your limitations as an artist."

"All right," I said, setting the cup down, "how about this –  _I'll_  find nifty décor ideas, and  _you_  take care of the manual labor. You have eons of patience."

"That sounds reasonable. I'm certain that between the two of us, we can manage to create a wedding with a wonderful aesthetic appeal. I'll leave the research in your capable hands."

"What about the reception?" I asked.

He shrugged. "She hasn't brought it up, so I assume she's still thinking about what she wants to do. Katsuya mentioned hiring a band or a DJ last week."

"Ooh, that would be cool," I said brightly. "It would be nice if everyone would dance too. I'll have to tell them they should go with that idea."

Kurama's green eyes roved over me. "You seem less tense. I'm glad."

I sipped the hot tea. "Being home helps. I think I might be able to sleep tonight. Maybe."

"If you're frightened, we can sleep together tonight," he offered with a soft smile.

I considered making a blanket fort or pulling out the kotatsu when I suddenly remembered why I wanted to keep my distance from him. An invisible fist squeezed my heart in my chest, and I gave a dry swallow. My tone was sharp. "I don't think so."

His smile drooped into a frown. "We slept together when we were smaller."

"That was then." It almost hurt to be so unkind, but I set the empty teacup down and got to my feet anyway. "Thank you for the tea. I'm going upstairs."

"Sit down," he commanded, managing to sound soft and hard all at the same time. His eyes were stony, and I saw a quick streak of angry red and a pained grey in his aura. "I'm not finished with this conversation." He held up a jar he conjured out of thin air. "I also need to address your wounds before Mother sees them."

I obviously hit a nerve of his that I didn't even know existed. I sat and stared numbly at my knees.

He moved his chair closer to mine and carefully pulled the butterfly bandages off of my cheek. The salve was cold when he rubbed it over my cut, but I stayed still, expressionless. He leaned in, inhaling, and zeroed in on the cut on my arm instantly. I imagined that he could easily smell the blood and antiseptic, and not even the cardigan could mask it from his powerful nose. He pushed the cardigan off my shoulder and moved the chiffon sleeve out of the way.

"This will hurt," he said, ripping the bandage off as soon as he said it. He was right.

He slathered salve over the cut, and I felt the sizzle of my skin mending back together. Both cuts would be gone by morning. He put the lid back on the jar and set it back on the table, leaning forward slightly.

"Listen, Alice," he said, using a voice that came from somewhere in his chest, and I could  _feel_  his glare strengthen the longer I refused to look at him. He was being very much the alpha kitsune. "You told me to sit you down like an adult if I had a problem with your behavior. This dismissive distance you are displaying is driving a wedge between us, which is the  _last thing_ we need with an enemy like Hatton at our doorstep."

I felt a hot wave of rage flash over me, but I forced it back. "I don't know what you want me to do, Kurama," I told him mildly, still refusing to meet his eyes. "I know you don't want to fight, but you don't respect that I need space from you. When I step back, you crowd me. It's not me driving a wedge between us – in reality it's you. It's always been  _you_."

His jaw clenched for a moment, and then relaxed. "Why do you say that?"

I lifted my eyes to his. His expression was still hard. "Because it's true. You've always been pushing and pulling away from me. It's almost as if you…" I stopped, struck by a sudden realization. No, that couldn't be right, could it? But we've been  _through_  that, circling around that, and playing footsies with  _that_. It obviously  _couldn't_  be true.

"Almost as if I what?" he prompted.

I gave him an uncertain look. "It  _feels_  like you don't look at me as a friend, or a sister, but rather like a lover…and you're denying or suppressing those feelings for me. There's really no other explanation that comes to mind for the way you treat me. I know you've said that you don't love me – over and over again, but your words and your actions don't really  _match._ "

Kurama got to his feet and picked up the teapot and our cups, crossed the kitchen, and turned on the water to rinse them out in the sink. The teapot overflowed with tap water, and the cups rolled around the bottom of the sink. His movements were oddly mechanical, and I watched his back with trepidation. Why wasn't he saying anything? Maybe he was just gathering his thoughts? Usually he would respond with a vehement denial. Could I actually be _right?_

"Kurama?" I tried, feeling lost.

He set the teapot and the cups in the dish strainer to dry, and set his palms on the edge of the sink, leaning against it as he looked down at the floor. His back expanded before he let out a long sigh. "Alice…perhaps you're right."

I stared at him. "I…am? Is this a trick?" It had to be. He was pulling my leg. He was the enemy of _all women_.

He twisted, looking at me over his shoulder with a slight smile. "No, this is not a trick." He straightened, watching the rain pour outside of the darkening kitchen window. "For the last few weeks, I've been…processing this. I think ever since you and Hiei slept together, I've been particularly unhappy. Jealous, perhaps."

My stomach dropped with nerves and shock. I couldn't believe I had been right. I couldn't believe he was  _admitting_ -

"Are you surprised?" he asked, turning around to face me. His mouth was in a slight curve, but his eyes held no humor.

I tapped my nail on the tabletop casually, looking away. I still refused to give him anything, but felt my stomach flip-flop. "A little. A bit. Not really." I looked back up at him. "No matter what's happened between us…I'm glad you're admitting your feelings, more importantly admitting them to  _yourself_. If anything, processing them might help us have a healthier friendship."

He sunk back against the sink, not meeting my eyes. "Yes, certainly."

I realized that Kurama was being very vulnerable to me right now. I had never seen him quite this open. Swallowing, I got to my feet. "Do you want some space? I need to dry out my textbooks and feed Sitka anyway. He's probably starving."

He smiled. "You don't have to be so considerate of me."

I frowned at him. "Stop being polite. I know how you feel, so I want to be nice to you. And if I were you, I'd want to get away from me, so I'm going to do what I said."

His expression was touched with a bit of warmth. "As you wish."

* * *

The next morning was still rainy, and a little colder than yesterday. I pulled on a sweater and went to my wardrobe, staring hard at my uniform hanging inside. Sighing, I left it there, opening my bedroom door, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Shiori was already there, making toast, and I gave my best raspy cough.

"I don't feel good," I told her, dropping in a chair and folding my knees to my chest.

She clucked over me – a perfect mom – pressing her hand against my forehead, like I wanted. "Oh, you do feel a bit clammy, dear. Shuichi-kun said you had gotten caught in the rain yesterday. Do you want to stay home?"

I nodded.

"All right. I'll phone the school." She smiled and patted my cheek. "You should try to eat something if you can."

"Can I just have tea?" I asked pitifully, giving her a pout. "I don't think I can eat anything right now."

Shiori looked above my head, her eyes focusing on Kurama coming in the kitchen behind me. "Shuichi-kun, would you put the kettle on? I've got to make a phone call. Alice-chan is staying home from school today." She gave me another soft smile and went out to use the telephone in the living room.

Kurama moved into my line of sight, stepping around the table and doing as he was bid. He turned on the gas and set the teakettle on the range. "Are you really not feeling well, or are you just trying to avoid leaving the house?"

"I want to stay home today," I said to his back as he quickly buttered a piece toast for himself. "Just today, at least."

He came to the table, setting his plate down, and pulled out a chair adjacent to me. "Tomorrow we'll start extra self-defense training. You need to be able to protect yourself a bit more." He bit large chunks out of his toast – two bites and it was half-gone.

"All right," I agreed, tightening my arms around my knees. "Honestly, Kurama, I…"

"Hm?" He looked up at me when I trailed off, mouth full, raising his green eyes from his plate to my face.

I gave him a grim smile. "I'm surprised you aren't hauling me off to Spirit World to get demonized."

"About that," he began, brushing his hands off over his empty plate and taking it to the sink, "I've seriously considered it…but there's no way to tell how it may affect your psychic abilities. Becoming demon may actually make you more vulnerable, unable to defend yourself from both humans  _and_  demons."

I had never thought of that. "That would be pretty useless, in that case."

"Indeed," he agreed, as the teakettle started screeching. He poured me a cup of oolong this time, and set it in front of me. "I've got to go. Don't leave the house – not even to go to the mailbox."

"I promise."

He gave me a pleased smile and left the kitchen to go put on his shoes. He called a goodbye to Shiori, and I heard the door shut behind him a second later.

Shiori left soon after, and Sitka and I decided it would be good to watch TV, since we had the day to ourselves.

" _-and so there will be rain all the way into tonight for the Kanto region – most specifically for the prefectures of Saitama and Tokyo. And now back to that mysterious car accident outside of Saitama prefecture's Asaka, where a black Audi was discovered burning off the side of a cliff, off of route 79. There was no evidence of a driver inside when the accident occurred. Police speculate foul play was involved, but can confirm no theories as of yet. They are searching for suspects involved."_

I turned off the TV. "You know, Sitka. I might just read."

He gave a snuffling noise that sounded suspiciously like a dog-laugh, and scratched his ear. He rolled on his back and gave me an expectant look, so I gave him a good belly rub.

I heard my cell phone go off, so I went to grab it from the kitchen. Kaname had sent me a text message, and I blinked at the notification. What did he want?

_Hey, next time, let's meet up at the café. I'll even buy you another latte, if you want._

I stared at it for a full minute, stupefied. He was asking me out on a  _date?_

I bit my lip – there wasn't any way I could really start dating Kaname, was there? I mean, Kurama didn't like me going out of the house unnecessarily, and not to mention his feelings for me – that would completely throw a wrench into me dating anyone for awhile at least. I mean, just look at what happened with Hiei.

"Augh!" I yelled at the ceiling. "Why is this happening to  _me?_ "

I wanted to have him – and not just  _have him_ , but I wanted to actually  _date_  him too! I wanted to know more about him, and read his work, and ride his motorcycle, and just  _hang out_  with him. He was  _cool_. He  _oozed_ sin. And he was really fucking sweet on top of that. There was no way that I would willingly let a hot tamale like Hagiri Kaname slip through my fingertips.

The only obstacle was Kurama.

Well, him and the serial killer, of course.

My phone went off again.

 _If it's too weird, you don't have to say yes_ , he wrote. I realized with horror that he could probably see the 'read' script at the end of the text he had sent me. I had been taking too long to respond.

"Buy time," I told myself firmly. "Be available, but don't be eager."

 _Sorry,_ I texted,  _I left my phone unlocked and didn't hear the notifications. I was in the kitchen._

Then something horrible happened.

He  _called_  me.

"Hello…?" I answered, walking out of the kitchen, pacing the living room floor. "Er, how's it going?"

"You're home?" he asked, curiously. "Well, I guess you wouldn't want to go to school after what happened yesterday. Are you alone?"

I glanced at Sitka. "No."

He sounded relieved. "Ah, good. I just wanted to check up on you." There was a surprising beat of awkward silence, which was kind of cute, since Kaname didn't seem the awkward type at all. "Uh, about the café…"

"Yes!" I blurted out, stupidly. "I mean…I don't know when we could meet up…but I want to. Meet with you. Um, there."

What the fuck was wrong with me?

He made a sound like he was trying not to laugh. "Oh, good, I'm glad. I thought you would turn me down, you know, after everything with Sensui. Maybe you wouldn't be comfortable being alone with me or something."

"I was fine yesterday," I reminded him, feeling my mouth pull in smile. "I had fun with you – and you were really nice, and I needed that. And I want to get to know you better. And you're really cool, you know?"

"Hm," he said, but there was a definite happy note there. "Thanks for saying so. It's too bad I'm actually a creepy sci-fi nerd in disguise."

I laughed, feeling my heart skip a beat. "Don't worry. I like creepy sci-fi nerds. And if it makes you feel any better, I read copious amounts of really stupid shoujo manga. Like, the kind with zero character development or plot."

"Ew," he teased. "You're right, that does make me feel better. Hm…if you're going to school tomorrow, do you want me to pick you up afterwards?"

I blinked and felt my cheeks heat up. "Erm, I'd like that…but I think Kurama has plans for me in the afternoon. Survival training. Maybe another time?"

"Sure, but will you be okay?"

"Eh?" I grinned, letting a teasing tone come into my voice. "Kaname, are you seeing me as a girl?"

"Yeah," he said casually. "You are one, you know. I know you're pretty tough, but it's still hard to picture  _you_  in something like survival training. Well, maybe not  _that_  hard - I can still see you with your teeth in my arm. But I hope your training goes well – next time you try that, you might break your teeth."

"I'll do what I can," I responded, rolling my eyes up to the ceiling, begging God for a miracle.

"Hmm, yeah. Well, I could teach you to shoot, if you want."

There it is!  _Maybe God_ doesn't _hate me after all?_ Kaname seemed to be  _trying_  to go out of his way to spend time with me, and I had to suppress a pleased sigh. "I sorta have some issues with guns…but I'd really like to give it a try, actually. I think that's what happened in the fight between us – you activated my viciousness when I was scared." Probably shooting off a few rounds might not hurt, PTSD-wise. It might even help.

"I think you were  _already_  vicious. I'm surprised you didn't try to shove me off the cliff."

"Nah, you're far too good-looking to go that way. Next time, I'll just drown you."

"Well, aren't you a peach," he drawled. I heard a dinging in the background. "Ah, there's the bell. I've gotta go – school's starting. See you around."

"Mm, bye then, Kaname."

He made an amused 'hmph' in his throat and hung up.

" _Gah!_ " I yelled at Sitka, jumping up and down like a little girl. "He's such a tease! A tease! Do you think I played it cool enough? I mean, he's totally got a thing for me, right? He sounded nervous at first, but then he got all cool, and I got all cool and  _goddamn it, why didn't he just ask me out?_ " I dropped on the floor and rolled around. "I'm so dumb, this is dumb! He's too young for me, except not because he's seventeen and I'm fifteen, but I'm kinda actually twenty-nine and he's still  _seventeen_. Ah, but he's so cute, you know?" I continued, rubbing my face on Sitka's leg. "This could be bad. This could be a  _crush_."

 _I'm very uncomfortable right now_ , Sitka grumbled, pulling his leg away and sitting on the couch – where he was  _not allowed_.

"I have to call Shizuru," I told him, rolling up and folding my arms. "It's a matter of life and death. And what am I supposed to do about  _Kurama?_  He's probably going to be weird about it if I start dating someone else. I don't want to wait, but I also probably should…" I growled, falling forward, burying my face in the carpet. "He should just throw those feelings for me away. I don't want them."

"Don't you?" Shizuru asked me later on the phone. She was between clients, waiting for her next appointment, while I divulged everything to her in one big hairy clump.

"I would like him to quite literally die," I replied. "He's troublesome."

"You and I both know you don't mean that. You won't get anywhere if you don't say what you actually mean."

I rolled around on the floor again. "Okay, maybe not  _die_ , but he  _is_  troublesome."

She sighed. "What do you really want from Kurama, Alice?"

I thought about it, staring up at the living room ceiling. "I would like to be friends with him again, I guess. Before this whole me-liking-him thing started, we were actually really good friends. The best. You didn't know us back then."

"Well…why don't you tell him that? Maybe he'd be open to it. From there, maybe he'd understand if you wanted to date Kaname."

"Hm, I should go slowly about Kaname, shouldn't I?" I scratched my neck. "It might be good if I could really fall for him. He's really cool, Shizuru. And he's thoughtful. And he's also not manipulative at all, which is a big plus in my book."

"Let's focus on Kurama first," she said, seriously. "You have got to make things better between you two. He's the type to ignore his own feelings if it's for the sake of someone else, which is not exactly healthy, but you can use it to your advantage. You just have to make him realize that he should care more about your feelings than his own. You have to show him, prove to him, that Kaname can make you happier than he can. If you can't, he'll probably continue to sabotage all of your relationships in one way or another – or he'll chase you directly."

"I prefer to do the chasing, honestly," I yawned. "But you're right. I need to smooth things over with him."

She chuckled. "No more revenge?"

I let out a huge sigh. "It wasn't going anywhere anyway. It's pretty hard to defeat a three-thousand-year-old kitsune – he wasn't giving me  _any_  opportunities."

"That's not true," she calmly rebutted. "He finally opened up about his feelings to you, didn't he? You could have raked him over the coals – but you didn't. Why not?"

I wrinkled my nose. "I know what it's like to open yourself up to rejection – I know about  _getting_  rejected. Even a polite 'no' feels like a thousand knives to the gut. I won't lie and say that I  _didn't_  think about telling him off, but I just…I couldn't do that to him. I guess I don't hate him like I thought I did. Hate's a terribly exhausting emotion to carry around anyway. I'd rather be nice."

"You have a big heart," she remarked gently.

"No," I countered, "it's not that simple. I'm nice to people I don't like because I'll never know when I'll need them. It's much easier to count on someone's help when you've treated them well verses when you've treated them like shit. In Kurama's case, he protects me.  _He_  lets me live in this house. If he wanted, he could make Shiori-san forget me and he could drop me off in the woods like an unwanted dog. I don't think it'd ever come to that, even if I rejected him harshly – I'd probably have to threaten his mother's life for that to happen."

"Well, it's not a half-bad philosophy, but I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. You're a lot kinder than you realize – even if you are a selfish bitch half the time."

"Thank you, best friend. I can always count on you for a nice word or two."

"My next appointment is here – come next Tuesday at four-thirty for a trim. And bring me cupcakes. Chocolate ones."

"Fine, fine," I agreed, rolling onto my stomach. "I'll lick the spoon and keep using it, so I just want you to know there will be love in them."

"You're so gross. Bye."

"Bye!"


	31. The Art of Doubt

 

**Alice Alive**

**KKYOKO**

**Chapter 31:** **The Art of Doubt**

_Well, I really don't know how we call this peace_

_'Cause it's a goddamn shame about the wall-to-wall wars_

_Pleading self-defense, but the story's old_

_"It was worth it," we're told,_

_There's a promise on the way, yeah_

_I don't believe what they say_

_You said, "Don't let your heart give out",_

_No, I won't let my heart give out,_

_You said, "Don't let your breath run out",_

_No, I won't let my breath run out_

_Well, it's magical, your meaningless_

_Habitual, mundane excess,_

_At its best it's all the art of doubt_

* * *

 

“I feel like you’re going to murder me,” I told Kurama, as we walked deeper into the woods. “Like you’re going to take me to your grandmother’s house made out of candy and seriously murder me.”

“You’re mixing fairy tales, and I’m a fox demon, not a wolf,” came his retort. He reached back and clasped my hand in his, leading me over a huge rotting log, and let go. “Besides, if I wanted to murder you, Alice, I’d make it look like a tragic accident. Much less messier that way.”

“You’re so – so –”

“Yes?” He looked back at me over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

“Never mind,” I finished lamely. I had nothing and he knew it, the little shit. “What exactly are we doing? Are you leading me into the woods just so you can lose me forever?”

“I’d likely solve a lot of my problems that way, but no, actually. I wanted a tougher terrain for our purposes. It’s a bit late for you to dive into a regimented martial arts training program, so I plan to play to your strengths. We’re going to play tag.” He stopped, turning around and giving me a light smile.

“Tag sounds fun…?” I asked warily, bristling.

He had an amused glint in his eyes as he looked away thoughtfully. “I suppose it depends on how you look at it.” He turned back to me. “You can already run quite fast, and your stamina isn’t bad either. This terrain will help strengthen those muscles that, as you put it so pleasantly awhile back: turned into liquid shit, while also improving your agility and light-footedness. It’s highly important that you take this seriously. I will be chasing you. You will avoid me for as long as you possibly can.”

I gave him a frown. “Not that this isn’t interesting, but why not any sort of fighting?”

His mouth went into a serious line. “If someone attempts to capture you, your highest priority is to run away. Do not attempt to engage the enemy – they will likely outweigh you and be much stronger than you. Ah, but I should inform you that chasing is just the warm up. Soon enough, we’ll work on your reflexes.”

“Hm…so basically you want me to become ridiculously dodgy?”

“That’s right,” he answered with a sparkle in his eyes. “Shall we begin?”

I glanced around at the trees, cataloging them in my mind. I had sort of paid attention on the way into the woods, but I was still worried about getting lost. “All right,” I muttered, looking down at myself. “I wish you would have let me at least change out of my school uniform though.”

“Are Hatton’s henchmen going to give you time to change out of your school uniform?” he rebutted, arching a red eyebrow.

“No,” I grumbled. I moved to take off my book bag, but Kurama stopped me.

“Keep that as well – it’s goes with the same principle. Get used to running with something weighing you down.”

I sighed. Thank God I wasn’t wearing _heels_ at least. I’d break my legs _and_ my neck.

Kurama gave me an amused look, probably already guessing my line of thought. “I’ll give you a five-second head start. After that, I’m coming after you.”

I tensed, trying to decide in which direction to run. We came from the west, so I didn’t exactly want to directly go back the way we came. Actually, if I was quick about it, I could circle back and _possibly_ confuse him if I crossed over my older scent trails. I knew Kurama didn’t solely depend on his sense of smell – his hearing was probably his dominant sense, so it was important that I move as quiet as a…mouse. Oh, hell.

He smiled. “Begin.”

I darted off in a northeastern direction, rushing through the brush. I caught a mostly clear footpath and ran along that for about two or three seconds before I turned off of it again, careful not to touch the surrounding trees. It was easy to leave trails of yourself behind. This isn’t the first time I’ve played tag with Kurama – although it really wasn’t as serious when we were smaller.

I couldn’t hear him, but I could sense his youki behind me, giving chase. If I wanted to mix him up, I had to make a sharp arc to the left. He probably knew what I was doing, so I zigzagged a bit, trying to at least make him _puzzled_ or something.

I leapt over a small boulder, and my bag bounced soundly off my hip, and I grabbed it trying to stifle the noise it made as I dashed through the rest of the woods. The trees were starting to look familiar again, and I could hear cars passing in the distance. I made a harder left to avoid the road, doubling back over the path we came into the woods from.

Kurama’s youki was growing closer, and his aura constricted with amusement. I couldn’t outrun him for much longer - much less outwit him. I sort of wanted to give up, but he would probably scold me endlessly for that. I continued on the path, took a sharp right, and nearly ended up in a small brook. A convenient rock helped me across, and I climbed up a soft hill, gripping loose tree roots to pull myself up. My heart was racing from exertion. I was still out of shape from not running for about a month, and this terrain was a _hell_ of a lot harder than a sidewalk, road, or track.

I got over the hill and through another small copse of trees, traipsed through a narrow meadow, and scared the bejesus out of a doe.

She took off deeper into the woods, white tail bouncing away.

 _So cute_ , I thought, clutching my chest and dying. I hadn’t seen a deer in _ages_. I forced myself to move along, trudging now along the brook, although I stayed in the trees. There were a lot of twigs, so I decided to stop and catch my breath before trying to find a way to avoid stepping on them.

Kurama’s youki was close enough to keep me alert, but he didn’t seem to be closing in on me. It felt like he was waiting for me to move again.

I could use the brook to cover my scent, but he’d definitely hear me splashing through it. Plus, I had already ruined a pair of shoes this week – ruining another pair didn’t sound appealing. I could see what was on the other side of the meadow and follow the doe’s tracks. She might have a quieter path for me to follow.

 _How long are we going to play this game of cat and mouse?_ I grumbled angrily to myself. Maybe I could just surprise Kurama.

Yeah, right.

I decided the doe would probably lead me to semi-victory, so I double-backed to the meadow, carefully picking my way through the twigs and leaves. I crossed into the trees she disappeared into, and crouched, examining the ground for tracks.

Since it had been rainy for the past couple of days, her cloven hooves left a noticeable imprint, and I became very aware of what _my_ shoes were leaving behind.

I sighed to myself. Should I go this way or not? It was soft, but not too crunchy with leaves, so I could walk along it fairly quietly – as long as I didn’t mind leaving a path directly to myself.

Now, the eyes of a human are more precise than his hearing, and while Kurama wasn’t human – I imagined that was what he was _pretending_ to be at the moment – which is why he wasn’t closing in on me right away. His youki was somewhere close by, probably just on the other side of the brook. If I left tracks for him to follow me, I imagined that he would be quite disappointed. Since hearing isn’t as precise unless there is a continuous sound, I might be safer with the occasional crunchy leaf.

I turned back to walk along the brook again, this time looking harder for rocks and tree roots to step on. I stayed focused on Kurama’s youki, trying to discern his exact location. He could sense me, hear me probably, and he was moving with me along the brook.

I broke away from the path and darted through the trees, away from the brook, and I felt him follow me. He still allowed me some space, but when a twig crunched under my shoe, I felt his youki flash behind me.

“Ack!” I cried as he caught me, arm around my waist. He hauled me up and turned me around, setting me back on my feet.

“You’ve done fairly well,” he said, teeth flashing in a pleased smile. “Still a bit too noisy, however.”

“Well,” I grumbled, straightening my blouse and blazer, “how would you suggest I improve?”

He looked up at the dappled pink sky thoughtfully. “That will come with more practice, but don’t worry, you’re quite clever when you put your mind to it. Exploiting your enemy’s weaknesses is an excellent method. If you know those weaknesses, that is.” His eyes dropped back to me. “You could make short work of a demon, but a human will be tougher for you – it’s lucky you know their disadvantages personally. Blurring your scent trail didn’t do much, I should say, but only because I could still hear you and sense your aura.”

I filed that for future reference. “Should we head back? The sun is setting.”

“Actually, we have a meeting with Koenma in the park. I wanted to broach the subject of extra security with him in regards to your school. I haven’t mentioned it yet, however.”

“I like that idea,” I replied brightly. “Even if it’s just an SDF member or something, it’s better than no one.”

“Mm,” he agreed. “Although I would prefer that we were in the same high school, I know how important Sato is to you, and I wouldn’t deprive you of it. I have considered transferring there, honestly.”

“Don’t do that,” I told him, giving him a wrinkle of my nose. “I can’t even picture you there. You would be bored to tears. And I’m kind of enjoying my high school life without your fan girls chasing me around and asking me to filch your dirty underwear.”

“There’s no need to be dramatic, Alice.”

“I’m _serious_ – you remember Tasaka’s friend – that Micchy girl? She was _crazy_. She _literally_ asked me to bring her a pair of your underwear. It was so weird.”

Kurama looked repulsed. “Let’s never bring that up again. Shall we go?”

“All right, all right,” I mumbled, following him out of the woods. Dusk settled around us as we made our way back into the fringes of town and the bugs started swarming us. I swatted at the mosquitos at my legs and cursed at them under my breath. It wasn’t much further to the park. Maybe when we got there I could convince Koenma and Kurama to go to the café. I could use some coffee anyway. I still had a report to do for my biology class.

The kids had all gone home by the time we got there. Koenma was waiting for us, in his 90’s Leonardo DiCaprio form, sitting on a bench. He was even wearing normal human clothing.

“Hey stranger,” I greeted as we stopped in front of him. “How’ve you been?”

He smiled up at me. “I’ve been fine, Alice. And yourself?”

“That’s actually why I wanted this meeting, Koenma,” Kurama interjected before I could reply. “Did you hear about the altercation we had the day before yesterday?”

“I’ve been busy in the Reikai, Kurama,” Koenma reminded him. “I’ve been stuck in the archives digging up research on old cases involving demons in the human world. Is this something big?”

“Some yakuza guys were shooting at my school,” I said crisply. “Not large-scale stuff. I actually thought they were just trying to tranquilize me at first.”

“I’m still under the impression that it was merely for show, Alice,” Kurama said. “Hatton seems to be funneling a lot of effort into terrorizing you – I imagine he wants to kill you personally.”

“Well, now that Hiei’s back in the Makai, did you want some backup?” Koenma asked, getting to his feet and brushing his jeans off.

“Hiei’s gone?” I felt a little disappointed that he didn’t even say goodbye properly. No wonder he hadn’t been in sensing range for days. I thought he had just gone investigating again.

Kurama nodded to me and turned back to Koenma. “Actually, that would be quite helpful, if you could arrange for someone to keep watch on her school. I’m afraid there’s only so much I can do without physically being there.”

“Of course,” Koenma said. A thoughtful look pulled his honey-colored eyes to the side. “I can arrange for someone to join the staff, maybe in the infirmary or her become a student in her class. Just for reference Alice, what’s your classroom?”

“1-7,” I replied.

“How quickly can you manage this?” Kurama asked.

“By Monday, at least,” he answered, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Was there anything else you needed?”

“Not particularly.” Kurama smiled. “I’m grateful for your help, Koenma. I was beginning to grow concerned.”

Koenma’s mouth widened. “No problem, Kurama. Have you made any further plans to bring Alice to the Makai? Are you certain that’s what you want to do?”

“I have, and yes I’m certain,” Kurama explained, folding his arms. “Hatton seems willing to make anyone surrounding Alice his targets as well. It’d be best if those surrounding her were strong A-class demons rather than humans. Yomi has agreed to make accommodations for her in any case.”

Koenma frowned. “Kurama, are you _sure_ you want her around Yomi? He’s not threatening you, is he?”

“I will admit he seemed pleased that I suggested bringing her, and I imagine that he’ll attempt to use her as leverage against me. However, I don’t believe Yomi has the full grasp of Alice’s purification powers – or that she has any at all. She wasn’t on the Dark Tournament’s footage, and she didn’t come into Demon’s Door Cave with us either. Unless Yomi has somehow gotten past my territory lines in the last few years without me catching on, it’s very likely that what knowledge he has of her is obscure and presumed.”

“All right then,” Koenma agreed. He brightened. “But you’re wrong – Alice was on the footage during your fight with Karasu, remember?”

“Ah!” I groaned, the same memory striking me. I covered my face. “Don’t remind him, Koenma!”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten about that,” Kurama teased, flashing a smile my way. “If I had died, you would have never forgiven me after all – not something one would forget so easily.”

I growled at him, and turned away. “Can we go home now?”

“Yes, yes, I suppose. It was good to see you, Koenma.” Kurama gave him a quick smile. His hand slipped around my wrist and gave me a tug towards the darkened street. “You should have a bath when we get back.”

“I don’t want to be told that by you,” I snipped. “What sort of accommodations is Yomi making for me?”

His thumb brushed over the back of my hand as we crossed the street. “Air quality control, meals, bedding, that sort of thing.”

“Oh.” I remembered something about Yomi and his side wanting to eat humans without regulation, when Kurama mentioned meals. “Are you sure it’s okay that I’m going too? They aren’t gonna try to roast me on a spit, are they?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. You’ll either be at my side, or in the safety of our chambers. I won’t allow you to be alone with any of them – _especially_ Yomi. However, to be cautious, I’d like to tie some of my youki in your aura before we go.”

“What’ll that do?”

“It’s like the bracelet, but much more highly effective. The reason I gave you the bracelet first was to make sure your powers didn’t neutralize my youki inside of it, and to get you more used to my youki being so close to you.”

I stared at the bracelet on my arm disbelief. “I’m so stupid. I could have taken this thing off myself _ages_ ago, couldn’t I?”

His smile was cool, but the corner of his mouth twitched tellingly. “That would not be wise. It’s for your own safety.”

“But it only helped when I was hypothermic,” I grumbled, glaring at it as I gave my arm a flick to bounce it around. “It’s practically useless.”

“Nonsense. It’s helped build your immunity up to my youki. At this point, when I tie it in your aura, your energy will work around mine in symbiosis. That was one of the _intended_ goals of getting you to wear it. Besides, it’s pretty, and pretty girls deserve pretty things.”

I felt my face burn and I jerked my arm out of his grasp. “It’s just a leash,” I retorted, shoving my hands in the pockets of my school blazer. I sauntered ahead of him, trying to swallow my heart back into my chest.

When he said things like that, it startled me. Kurama _wasn’t_ undemonstrative in his affection – no matter what level relationship you had with him. He patted his friends on their backs, hugged Shiori often, and toyed with my hair in a half-obsessive manner. But he didn’t often _say_ affectionate things like that, preferring our usual banter in its stead. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the reason wasn’t because he was bad at being nice (on the contrary, he was disgustingly nice), but rather because it was a calculated attempt to shock me into blushing.

I got over my embarrassment by the time we got back to the house. “How exactly do you tie your youki into my aura?” I asked him as we opened the door to the dark house. Shiori was either still at work, or at Katsuya’s again.

“Well,” Kurama mused as he closed the door and slipped his shoes off, “if I had the finesse of an aura alchemist like Chuu, it would be quite simple. However, we’ll have to do things the old fashioned way.”

I already didn’t like the sound of this. “The old fashioned way.”

His lips pulled into a wide smile that revealed his teeth. “Biting.”

I stared at him. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m not. Sorry.”

“This is a youkai thing? Biting to do a…what…energy exchange?” I asked weakly, turning on the light in the foyer.

He smiled again and the light brightened his face. “It’s a kitsune thing. Other demons have other methods, but most canid types use biting as the vehicle for these sorts of exchanges. It’s how mating rituals are done as well. It’s what’s most effective for us.”

I coughed. “Can I opt out?”

He sighed. “Now you must tell me that _you’re_ the one who’s joking. There’s more than your discomfort at stake here. If Yomi thinks that our relationship has holes, he’ll take advantage of it. We need to present a strong front. A partnership, if you will, as well as absolute faith in each other. Tying my youki into your aura is partly show-and-tell, but it doesn’t make that reason any less important.”

“This is politics, isn’t it?”

“Partly.”

I studied him. “Kurama…does this have anything to do with what you told me yesterday? About your feelings?”

His mouth went up into a mysterious smile. “Partly.”

I looked away. I didn’t _want_ to bring up Kaname…but I sort of had to at this point. “There’s someone else, you know. I didn’t know exactly how to tell you, but I’m sort of falling for Kaname right now.”

His red eyebrow arched. “I’m aware. I didn’t miss the atmosphere between you two when I went to pick you up from his place.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “I’m serious. I really like him – so I don’t want you to make any advances on me. Or interfere like you did with Hiei.”

Kurama just stared at me, studying me. I couldn’t read his expression. Finally, he replied. “I will agree to not interfering with him for now. You should know though that if I suspect that he’s mistreating you, however, I _will_ become quite meddling. In addition, I won’t agree to your restrictions of making advances on you. I will play my hand my way.”

“What the hell does _that_ mean?” I demanded, backing up another step.

His mouth pulled into a pleasant smile as he watched my nervous fidgeting. “I will seduce you – one way or another. You had feelings for me before, so I’ll merely help you rediscover them.”

“I don’t like being chased,” I told him primly. “It’s annoying and desperate.”

His smile widened, and his green eyes lit up with mirth. “Don’t underestimate my patience, Alice. You should understand by now that _chasing_ is not something I do much of.”

He was right. He would much rather put out a few traps and lie in wait like a spider. He was cunning, and I had a general idea of what I could expect from him, even though I had never seen him seduce anyone before. He was going to trick me somehow down the line. I had to keep my wits about me.

“What are you planning?” I asked, folding my arms. I had to straighten my back in front of him, or I would be seen as weak and pliable. I fixed him with a hard glare. “Tell me exactly. In fact, why are you even interested in a relationship with me? You had all of these logical, well-thought out reasons why we would never work, and now you change your tune?”

“I’ll answer your second question first.” He leaned against the banister, folding his arms like me, and kept his gaze trained on my face. “Ever since you expressed your feelings for me, I realized there were two options I could follow. One was to reject you, because it was inconvenient to live together if it didn’t work out, and because I have a rather colorful past, it’s dangerous to be that close to me in case you were exploited like Maya. The other option was to obviously answer your feelings, and throw all caution to the wind. I clearly followed the first one, even knowing that my feelings about you could possibly change – since I was already quite fond of you at the time. After everything that’s happened – the Maze Castle, the Dark Tournament, Sensui, and now Hatton, when I realized my feelings for you grew into something more, I found it quite pointless to keep you at arm’s length. Youkai are famously possessive of their mates – even potential ones. Between my instincts, and the stoic logic that fell around my ears, I decided the best way to keep you safe _and_ close to me would be to give into my feelings and make you mine.”

I gave him the iciest glare I’ve ever given another person. “I don’t belong to you. People don’t belong to other people, and I really resent –”

He held up his hand, cutting me off. “This isn’t objectification, Alice. You aren’t used to this – youkai instincts – I understand. Hiei severely downplayed his own instincts around you, in order to not run you off. However, I will learn from his mistake, because in all honesty, I think a little part of you wouldn’t particularly mind being possessed; as long as the other party was completely committed to _you_ , of course. You’re quite possessive yourself, you know.”

I bit my sharp retort back. He wasn’t completely wrong. I did favor serious, committed relationships over flings. I liked the feeling of a love so deep that you crawled inside of another person and they’d never be the same without you – or _since you_.

“I will happily explain everything to you, over the course of our courtship,” he continued. His tone was businesslike, but his green eyes glittered with amusement.

“Who said we were _courting_ each other? I’ll tell you again – I want to date _Kaname_ , not you,” I retorted.

He arched an eyebrow, and I automatically knew that I misunderstood something. “Courtship doesn’t necessarily imply a two-way street. You can see someone else and still be courted by me. Even mated youkai will occasionally be courted by others, which is a reason youkai are so possessive. You may find your mate stolen right from under your nose if you aren’t careful.”

That concept stopped me for a moment.

“Youkai don’t mate for life?” I asked curiously. “So it’s just like human marriage and divorce?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “It goes much deeper than that, but it’s true more or less. Some do no matter what – wolf youkai, for instance. But most youkai understand that not all their problems will be solved once they find a partner. It’s understood that changes will occur over their very long life spans, and one may outgrow the other.”

“Oh,” I murmured. I looked back up at him, still fighting back a scowl. “I’m still not grasping the fact that you’re actually _this_ intent on having me for yourself. For such a long time, it’s seemed like you only tolerated me – like you didn’t really know how to deal with me. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around.”

Honestly, I felt like running away, but I wasn’t going to tell him that much. I was still wary of him. He was too crafty, and I wouldn’t put it past him to use my feelings against me. I made sure that my stance was straight and I had a distinctly disdainful look on my face.

He moved up the first two steps of the staircase, and cupped my chin, pulling my face up to his. “I understand that I’ve hurt you,” he murmured. His head dipped, and I felt his breath rustle my hair. He skimmed my ear with his lips. “So, I will slowly…gently…break through your defenses.” He gave my earlobe a playful nip. “I want to right my wrongs.”

“Are you so sure that’s possible?” I countered, jerking my face out of his hands and backing up another step of the staircase. “I’ve got a lot against you.”

His hands feel back down to his sides. His gaze stayed on my face, but his mouth pulled into a frown. He leaned slightly on the banister. “I have a lot to make up for, but I’m certain I can redeem myself. I’ll respect the boundaries you set, as well. Can you give me a chance to win your favor?”

As much as I didn’t really want to – I also _did_ want to give him a chance. I missed being so close to him, like when we first started out – even before we met Hiei. Now would be a perfect time to express this, but I really wasn’t sure _how_. It was especially hard because I didn’t really want to be vulnerable in front of him. I bit my lip. “I – I just…”

He waited.

“We were such good friends until I fell in love with you,” I finally said, rubbing my forehead, tired of posturing. “I miss how we were back then – like when we were back in Meiou with Kitajima. We sort of watched over her –”

“We bonded over a common goal,” he murmured. His eyes were brighter now, and his mouth was in a smile. He looked like I had just given him an idea.

“Yeah, and it felt like we were equals. Back then, it was easy to be close to you because I didn’t have any expectations. We depended on each other – but that’s changed.”

His eyebrows pulled together. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t depend on me anymore. You don’t need to with all your powers back, but I’m still completely dependent on you for my safety. The dynamic our relationship has shifted so that you’ve ended up with all the power. It’s actually a little stifling to be around you. I mean, I trust you, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t throw me out of the house if you wanted.” I stared at him. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

His expression was dawning. “You believe that I don’t need you anymore?”

I nodded.

He looked away, green eyes shifting over the floor. “That isn’t entirely true.” He looked back up at me and held his hand out, palm up. I slipped my hand in his, and his fingers wrapped around mine gently. “Right now, it’s necessary to keep you safe. Right now, it’s my duty to watch over you. And I do understand that you’ve probably felt this way for awhile – ever since the Dark Tournament, likely, but I promise it won’t be this way forever. I _will_ need you when we go to the Makai. I told you, we’ll need to present a strong front to Yomi.”

“We’ll be a power couple?” I half-joked.

He turned my hand over and pressed a kiss inside of my palm. I shivered. “We’ll be partners,” he vowed, turning his green gaze back at me as he kissed my palm again. “Just like we used to be.”

* * *

“Oh? Ahahaha! Oh, my!” Shiori exclaimed into the cordless phone. “Minoru sounds like a little doll! Oh, I know. They’re adorable at that age. Oh, you’re definitely bringing him, right? Oh, good! Ahahaha!” she laughed again. “No, no, Hana, don’t worry about that. I’d rather have everyone here anyway.” She paused and frowned. “Well…you know how Mother is, but I don’t want to speak ill of her. Oh, right. Right. Oh, no, we’ll definitely be happy to have you here. Okay. All right, dear, I’ll see you at the end of next month. Bye, now.”

“Your sister?” Katsuya asked, looking up from the newspaper he was reading at the table.

“Yes,” Shiori answered, pulling out a chair and sitting down. She reached for the sales papers and a pair of scissors. “She and little Minoru will be coming to stay the night before the wedding. She hasn’t really a place to stay in this area, so I invited her here.”

Katsuya glanced at me, idly flipping through a wedding magazine and scrolling through Pinterest on my phone. “Perhaps she can sleep in Alice’s room?”

“That’s all right with me,” I answered, squinting to read an article about designing the perfect bouquet. “I’ll sleep in the living room though.” I was pretty sure Minoru was in the crying stage of his development, and I really didn’t want to listen to that _all_ night.

“Er,” Katsuya said, adjusting his glasses. “Well, that would be fine, except my parents will be coming as well…”

“Oh, they can have the spare bedroom, can’t they?” Shiori suggested, frowning.

“Shuichi-chan will be coming over for the whole weekend, Shiori,” Katsuya said, glancing over at her.

Shiori frowned. “Didn’t his mother want him to spend the night with her?”

“Actually, she reconsidered when she remembered she would have him all summer. We’ll be gone, after all.”

Shiori giggled. “I still can’t believe Shuichi-kun won that trip to Hawaii! Goodness, that was a surprise! Well, what about letting your parents stay at your apartment? You’ll still have it by then, won’t you?”

Katsuya cringed. “Actually, my lease is up at the end of this month, so I was thinking about just letting it go instead of renewing it. There doesn’t seem to be any point in keeping it, since we’re combining our households.”

“Shuichi-chan and Alice can stay in my room for the weekend,” Kurama offered, popping in the kitchen. He looked at me. “You’ll have the bed, of course.”

I tried not to frown at him, but I felt the downward, rebellious tug of my mouth anyway. I wanted to suggest going to Shizuru’s that weekend, but I knew he’d shoot it down. I wasn’t quite as safe there, after all.

“Alice-chan?” Shiori asked, smiling slightly. “Is that all right with you?”

“I don’t mind,” I shrugged, turning the page in the magazine.

Katsuya sighed, picking the paper back up. “Well, I’m glad that’s settled then. I know Shuichi-chan will be pleased to hang out with you guys. He doesn’t have any other siblings, you know.”

“Well, we’re always happy to have him around,” Kurama said agreeably, leaning over to peer at the magazine I was perusing. The end of his hair brushed my cheek. He pointed to a table set in the upper corner. “This is a pretty layout. Don’t you think?”

It was a little too stuffy and formal in my opinion, but before I could state it, Shiori gasped. “There’s a sale on squash and eggs today at Besia! And steak is ¥150 a kilogram! Goodness!”

“Wow,” I said, amazed. That sale equated to about $3 per pound. “That _is_ a really good deal. Is the squash bagged?”

She nodded. “Stuff as much as you can in a bag, and it’s ¥100. Eggs are ¥50 a carton.”

Katsuya raised his eyebrows. “Should we go?”

Shiori’s mouth turned down in a depressed line. “I’m waiting for my mother to call. If I’m not here to answer it, she’ll be terribly upset.”

“Shuichi-kun and I could go for you,” I suggested, closing the magazine and pushing it away from me. I was sick of looking at wedding stuff. I had been sitting at the kitchen table all morning, looking at fake-happy model brides with overdone makeup and strapless gowns. I positively hated strapless gowns. I looked up at Kurama, begging him with my eyes. “Want to?”

Kurama hid it very well, but for a second, he looked like he would have rather been shot. He forced a warm smile. “Those prices are far too good to pass up, certainly. We could come back and make okonomiyaki.”

I _loved_ okonomiyaki – even though I had to sort of specialize it for my diet. But I would kill a man for Osaka-style okonomiyaki. In fact, I’d kill two. I bounced to my feet. “Let’s go then!”

“Oh, let me get you some cash!” Shiori rushed out of the kitchen and came back with three ¥1000 bills (about $30), and pushed it in my hand. “You’ll probably won’t need this much, but if you see something you want or another bargain, go ahead and pick it up, all right?”

“Yes, yes,” I answered, handing the money to Kurama. I didn’t have any pockets in my long tulip skirt. “Are you sure we don’t need anything else?”

Shiori glanced at Kurama. “Flour. We’re a bit low for okonomiyaki, and I know both of you really quite like it.”

“Cabbage?” I asked.

“I bought two heads yesterday.”

Kurama tugged my elbow. “In that case, we’ll be back in an hour.”

Shiori followed us out to the doorway, watched us slip on our shoes, and waved as we went out. “Take care!”

Besia was only about a twenty-minute walk away, and I bounded beside Kurama in a cheerful, comfortable silence. It was great to stretch my legs. It was a nice Sunday, the weather was warm, and I was looking forward to okonomiyaki. I was also looking forward to tomorrow, since I would probably meet my new bodyguard at school.

A cool blast of air conditioning hit us when we walked inside, and I grabbed a basket and put the handles over my arm.

Kurama stuck out his hand. “I’ll take that, Alice.”

I passed him the basket and followed him to the meat section. There was a crowd, as there usually was with flash sales such as these, though it was largely made up of housewives. I hung back and allowed Kurama to smoothly talk his way through the crowd to get to the best selections of steak. The housewives were enamored of him, starry-eyed, and I tried not to laugh. It’s said that the devil has the most angelic of faces, but they probably didn’t realize who they were helping.

He came back with his cuts of meat, and I suspected he used his nose to find the freshest ones. “Should we go get that squash?” I asked.

“Of course. Would you like to fill the bag?”

“Sure,” I replied, and started towards the produce section. Someone stepped out of the bread aisle as I walked past, and I banged into his shoulder. “Oh, sorry – oh, it’s just _you_.”

Tasaka sneered at me, switching the smashed bread to his other hand. “And here I was about to accept your apology and everything, Minamino. Figures trash like you would come waltzing in here like you own the place. And look who else it is – Shuichi! I heard you were going to shitty Yabe from Maya-chan.”

“Tasaka, if you’re trying to insult me, you’re doing a rather poor job of it.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not trying – just telling it like it is. Are you two out playing house? It’s disgusting, don’t you think? Even if you aren’t actually brother and sister, incest is still really gross.” He wrinkled his nose and backed away like he smelled something awful.

“Can I hit him?” I asked Kurama.

“Not in the middle of a busy grocery store,” he replied. Something in his demeanor changed then, and a little bit of Youko slipped in his icy gaze as he looked down his straight nose disdainfully. “Elsewhere, however, is a different story.”

“I have no desire to see you two _elsewhere_ , Shuichi. Minamino, don’t be creepy and stalk me because you hate me, okay? I wouldn’t mind smacking the shit out of you again. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get a new loaf of bread, since your fat ass squished it.”

Kurama grabbed my elbow as I lunged after him, but Tasaka had disappeared back down the bread aisle. I wanted to knock him on _his_ fat ass. I wasn’t the only one who had gained a couple of pounds in the last month and a half. Kurama’s grip tightened on my arm and he started pulling me along to the produce section.

“Has he hit you before?” he asked. His tone was soft, but I sensed a churning of emotion inside of him. “Tell me now.”

I looked at him with bewilderment. “I thought someone would have told you this. I kept meaning to, but then I’d forget.”

He stopped. “Who knew?”

I’d better just tell him the story. I wasn’t trying to get anybody in trouble here. “It happened during the Sensui case – the day you went to the Reikai. Kaito and I were leaving Meiou, and Tasaka cornered us on the stairwell. Tasaka started talking shit, and when he grabbed me, I kneed him in the stomach. We tried to leave again, but I guess I didn’t really hit him very hard, because he grabbed me and pushed me into a wall. Kaito was going to use his territory, but I told him to go get a teacher instead. While he was gone, Tasaka tried his very hardest to intimidate me, and ended up slapping me because I called him pathetic. And then I laughed at him.”

“So, you inflamed an already unstable situation?” Kurama asked archly. “Did you really think that was the wisest course of action?”

“I didn’t care at the time,” I snapped, jerking away from him. “You face everything I have and then a little boy coming up to you and trying to scare you is just _funny_. It’s as funny as it is sad. I think I reacted appropriately, honestly.”

He sighed, reaching for my hand. “You’re right. I apologize.”

I stared hard at him, waiting for the sarcastic remark that must surely be on the tip of his tongue. But his expression and the warmth around my hand said it wasn’t coming. “That’s it?” I asked.

“That’s it.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek, and let him lead me to the table of squash. Most of it had been extremely picked over, but I grabbed a bag anyway, and started turning them over, looking for the best ones. Kurama waited for me patiently, and I finally turned back to him and slipped the bag in the basket. I only managed to get seven good ones.

“Was that everything?” I asked, feeling like I was forgetting something.

“Flour,” he reminded me. His green eyes swept over the store, probably keeping an eye out for Tasaka. “Let’s go this way.”

I followed him in slightly roundabout way to the baking aisle, which wasn’t as big or as varied as you’d find in a western supermarket. Japanese liked western sweets, but they tended to buy them from bakeries, rather than make them at home. At home, they preferred making their own traditional sweets, or eating fruits.

Kurama picked our usual brand of flour from a shelf in the middle and dropped it in the basket. “Let’s go back.”

But at the end of the aisle, we ran into a wide-eyed _Kaname_ , and Kurama had the distinct look of wanting to be shot again. Kaname’s face lit up when he saw me and I noticed the teenage guy next to him looking back and forth between us all.

“Heard you were having some trouble,” Kaname remarked, glancing back at the guy. “Ah, this is Shigure – he called me.”

“Called you?” Kurama prompted, glancing between them. “There was no need, however, I appreciate the help.”

Kaname’s lips twisted into a smirk. “You never know who you’re dealing with these days.” There was a definite hint in the hardness of his tone, and I figured he had kept Shigure out of the loop about the latest happenings in Mushiori with Sensui. Anyone could be a psychic, and anyone could be a psychic working for Hatton. Kaname turned his lavender eyes on me. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

I couldn’t fight the grin that pulled on my lips. “Thank you.”

“What happened?” Kaname asked.

“Just a small matter with an old schoolmate of ours,” Kurama answered easily, displaying his pleasant, prince-like façade. “He’s rather annoying, but not especially dangerous.”

“I didn’t think it seemed all that dangerous,” Shigure said to me, “but Kaname told me a little bit about you, and…I just thought he’d want to know.” He raised his eyebrows at Kaname. “I’m surprised you came so fast. Where were you?”

Kaname pursed his lips and shrugged. “Just around.”

Shigure narrowed his eyes, but didn’t pester him. He turned to me. “It was nice to meet you. I have to check out,” he said, holding up his basket.

“You too,” I said, giving him a wave. “Thanks.”

Kaname exchanged a look with Shigure, and some meaningful message passed between them, and Shigure left to go to the front of the store. Kaname sidled a little closer to my side and frowned at Kurama. “That’s all it was? Just some old classmate?”

“Nothing serious has happened since last time,” I said, mentally urging him to move an inch closer. We could brush arms, and I would be certain to feel a rush of electricity run through me. I already felt very buzzy with excitement and slight elation. But I was also aware of upsetting Kurama. “We were just out getting some stuff for Shiori-san.”

“Mother will expect us back soon,” Kurama prompted, giving Kaname’s right arm a sideways glance as it brushed mine. “We mustn’t keep her waiting if you really want to eat okonomiyaki.”

Kaname’s elbow sent a spark through my heart, making it skip a beat, and I felt my face turn a bright red. He nudged me again. “Wanna wait outside with me while Kurama checks out?”

I glanced back at Kurama hopefully, and he pursed his lips. “Don’t leave the front door. Hagiri, do not leave her alone under any circumstances.”

“Didn’t plan on it,” Kaname remarked, holding his arm out for me to walk ahead of him. We split up from Kurama and he sauntered up beside me, glancing over his shoulder. I could smell Burberry and mint as he stepped in front of a fan. “Is he always that overprotective?”

I frowned. “He has reason to be. It’s not like it’s always been like this, but ever since we heard about Hatton, we’ve been extra vigilant. I can’t really do much against humans.”

“What,” he teased, “you don’t wanna use your powers on them or something? I didn’t think you were that soft.”

Ah. I guess I hadn’t told him that bit. The front doors automatically closed behind us, and I moved to the side and in front of the window so Kurama could see me. “I can only hurt demons with my powers. It’s basically purification, so it doesn’t really work on humans.”

Kaname stared at me. “Seriously? Then you’re like a sitting duck.” He folded his arms and rubbed the edge of his thumb against his lip. “I wondered why you didn’t use your powers on me. Sensui-san didn’t seem to think much of you, but Gourmet started talking about you in the end, like he was worried you would try something.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “That wasn’t him. He ate the older Toguro brother, and then Toguro took over his body. What did he say?”

His blunt thumbnail dented his lip. “‘Watch out for Alice.’ Nothing else.”

I gasped as the thought hit me. “Oh!” I grabbed Kaname’s shoulder and jumped up and down in excitement. “Oh, God, that’s great! Great news! I’m so happy!”

“You’re happy Toguro made you a target?” His eyebrow furrowed as he caught my wrists.

“No! No, listen,” I said brightly, pulling his shoulders closer. I brought my voice down. “Listen, Toguro was the one who told us about Hatton, which means they were – at least at one point – buddied up.”

Lavender eyes widened. “Hatton doesn’t know the limits of your powers. He thinks it’s possible for you to attack humans.”

I grinned. “Exactly! That’s why he’s been so cautious. In fact, I’d be willing to guess that he doesn’t have a lot of power –”

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Alice,” Kurama interrupted, stopping by Kaname’s side. The grocery bags crinkled loudly in his hands. “Hatton’s powers are largely unknown, and making wild conjectures about them isn’t wise. From my point of view, Hatton is merely toying with you.”

Kaname frowned, thumb going back to his lip. “I’m actually gonna agree with Kurama. He doesn’t seem cautious – more like…lying in wait. I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high, princess.”

I felt the bubble growing inside of me pop. I deflated. “All right, then.”

“Don’t get so depressed,” Kurama insisted, switching one bag to his left hand, so he could reach out and touch me.

I backed away from his hand. “I’m not.”

Kaname smirked. “You look like you’re gonna melt in the ground. Try straightening up before you lie.”

Kurama tossed him a mock frown. “Don’t antagonize her, Hagiri. Her glare can melt the skin right off your bones.”

Kaname pursed his lips and gave Kurama a critical glance. “Well, she already tried to rip my arm off with her teeth, so I’m not that concerned about her glare,” he rejoined. “I may have to worry about her drowning me though.”

I covered my face. “You guys are _teasing_ me! Cut it _out!”_

“Why would we tease you? This is a serious thing. You shouldn’t being going around ripping off arms and drowning people at random –”

“Augh!”

“It’s not at random – it’s just me,” Kaname complained. “She’s probably a yandere.”

Kurama brightened up. “Actually, that’s true. She has a pattern of attacking those she’s enamored with.”

My hands broke away from my face in fists. “I do _not!_ ”

“You’ve attacked both me _and_ Hiei, if you recall,” Kurama said brightly.

I swept my gaze around at both of them and folded my arms. “You _all_ deserved it. And I don’t mind _attacking_ anyone again, if you were wondering.”

Kurama knew the limits of the amount of teasing I could handle before it became a fight to the death, so he put up his hands in surrender, groceries jostling against his sides. “All right, all right. No more teasing today.”

“Today, he says,” I grumbled to myself. “I’ll expect tons tomorrow then.”

“Speaking of tomorrow,” Kaname began, giving me a sideways look, “what are you doing?”

Tomorrow was a Monday, so that meant school. “Meeting my new bodyguard from the Reikai, but apart from that?” I prompted Kurama.

I was clearly supposed to shoot him again, judging by the mildly pained look in his forest green eyes. “More training in the woods.”

“Woods?” Kaname asked.

“South of here,” I said, pointing over my shoulder, “just on the outskirts of Asaka. I’ve been running cross-country and evading Kurama, with some fun reflex tests thrown in.”

Kurama explained. “We’ve been working on her agility and speed, so she can run if someone attempts to capture her.”

Kaname’s dark eyebrow went up. “Not her psychic abilities? Wouldn’t working on that –”

“Running takes precedence. It’s not that I don’t want Alice to defend herself, but it would be best if she wouldn’t have to in the first place. However, I do agree that she should know how to put up a barrier, at the very least.” Kurama gave me an expectant look.

I scowled at him. “Is this you putting me on the spot? Because I don’t appreciate it.”

“A barrier can save your life, if the timing’s right. You need to be able to do this with your own psychic energy.”

“So…how exactly do your powers work?” Kaname wondered.

“Stupidly,” I answered.

Kurama gave me a stern look. “Most human psychics can only use their own personal spirit energy, but Alice can tap into the divine energy that surrounds humans instead. In fact, she uses it almost exclusively because her hold on her own energy is shaky at best. I’ve only seen her use it once at the Dark Tournament…making a rather flimsy-looking barrier.”

“I couldn’t use the holy energy because of Yukina, and I was just a _little_ distracted by the huge dragon flying around and destroying the rest of the arena and trying to melt my face off.”

“All the more reason to do a proper barrier. You’re lucky Yukina and Botan were there to help you out.”

I threw my hands in the air. “How are you _this annoying?_ ”

“Because I –”

“Don’t,” I told him, scowling and pointing at him. “I already know what you’re going to say.”

 _Because I care_. It made me want to retch now. It used to be reassuring, but it somehow evolved into meaningless sweet nothings, worth no more than an expired coupon. I guess over the last few months of starving for his attention and affection, and then struggling to get over him so he couldn’t hurt me anymore, his words began to mean less and less to me. _Because I care_ just triggered me into feeling insecure and sick.

There was a lag in the conversation – if the conversation could be called that.

Kaname’s hand trailed up the side of my arm, his tickling fingertips sweet, and not unwelcome. “What about Tuesday?”

Kurama narrowed his eyes at Kaname. “I’m not entirely sure I feel comfortable leaving Alice in your care. Especially to go gallivanting off to wherever it is you go.”

Kaname pulled my hand up to his face, inspecting my nails. His lavender gaze drilled through Kurama, and I knew Kaname was testing Kurama in some sort lazy, catlike way. He was probably thinking, _if I make her my girlfriend, is this guy gonna get in my way?_

“The café?” I suggested peaceably.

“I don’t think so,” Kurama said stubbornly, watching Kaname touch the backs of my nails to his lips. His green eyes switched to me, and I almost heard a _snap_. “If you’re ready, we should return to the house.”

I gave him a dour look and moved to pull away from Kaname, but Kaname’s firm grip on my hand stopped me from going anywhere.

“What if I don’t give her back to you?” he asked. His tone was slightly solemn, and had that familiar bored note to it.

Green eyes fixed hard on Kaname’s face. “Then she’ll destroy you.”

“Oh? Personal experience?” Kaname smirked. “Is that supposed to scare me off? I can tell you don’t like me. You can say it.”

“I don’t particularly like you, no, but even _you_ don’t deserve the fate that awaits you if you pursue a relationship with her,” Kurama said, sincerely.

I glared at him. “Can you not talk about me like I’m Medusa? I’m literally standing _right here_.”

He gave me a pacifying smile. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Alice. It just seems necessary to me to warn Hagiri – you just have a tendency to be a little cruel.”

I couldn’t exactly argue with that, but I scowled at him all the same.

Kaname just sighed. “I thought we went over this already, when I reminded you how she tried to rip my arm off. She’s a yandere.”

Kurama gave him a long look of pity. “Hagiri, tell me, are you a masochist?”

Kaname laughed, and I felt his breath buffet against my hand. “Maybe I am. I just know that I’m not giving her back to you without some sort of collateral.”

I turned to look at Kaname, wide-eyed. That was _ballsy_. _Especially_ with Hatton trying to kidnap/kill me. He had to know that Kurama was on high alert, and willing to eliminate _any_ threat to my safety.

Kaname caught my disbelieving look. He smirked. “What? Don’t you wanna go on a date with me? Tuesday after school?”

“Er – yeah, but…that could have been phrased better.”

“It’s all right, Alice,” Kurama said, giving Kaname a calculating stare. “It’s nice to know that underneath that teenage boredom, there’s a steely backbone. I’ll allow him this chance, if you truly want me to.”

“Yeah,” I said softly.

He held a grocery bag out to me. “Then let’s go home.”

Kaname let me go this time, and I sent him a quick goodbye wave. I took the bag and followed Kurama quickly, knowing that his mood was black. His wide stride proved it. He always moved faster when he was angry.

We crossed the street and turned right to start back to the house. I looked back and saw Kaname had disappeared into the grocery store parking lot, and I wondered if he rode his bike here. He had probably been at the café when Shigure called him, which really wasn’t too far a walk either.

Kurama was still silent when we got to the outer residential area of our neighborhood.

“How close are you to turning Youko right now?” I asked, half-curious and half-looking to diffuse the tension in the air.

“Quite,” was his terse answer.

Kurama had told me a little bit about the biorhythms he had been experiencing. Ever since the fight with Sensui, an angry mood made him feel like he could snap into his true demon form. So far he had kept a handle on his emotions, but I worried for the time we would be spending in the Makai. All that demonic energy in the air could definitely trigger a change – a regression – to Youko. Although, if it did, I was pretty sure that he would know me this time, since he wasn’t exactly going _back_ to his pre-Shuichi days.

I reached out and caught his arm to stop him. “Can I do anything?”

“No,” he replied. “It’s nothing to concern yourself with. Come on, don’t lag behind me.”

* * *

Saito Nanase was one of the original SDF members who went into Demon’s Door Cave. I don’t know how he got back into Koenma’s good graces – maybe because he was so by-the-book and loyal to the Reikai. He was probably the most ordinary-looking SDF member I’d ever seen. His straight, black hair was boring, his face was average, but there was a lot more going on underneath the bored look he was giving the blackboard in the front of the class.

There was obviously some sort of spell on him to make him look younger than he was. He appeared about fifteen, but his real looks made him out to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Obviously, he was probably even older than _that_ , but I decided not to ask. I already felt like a baby around Kurama. I did _not_ want to feel the same around my other bodyguard.

We had a meeting over lunch, in the first years’ courtyard. He unrolled a perfect, hand-drawn map of the school, uncapped a red pen, and started marking emergency exit points with it. With a green pen, he marked several great hiding places he found for me, if I couldn’t get out of the school. He called them safe zones. It was all very official.

I told him, in great detail, the incident with the yakuza that came to Sato last week. I went over what I did, what they did (pointing it out on the map), and I asked him if there was anything else I could have done.

“It sounds to me like you did your best,” Saito replied thoughtfully. “However, from now on, if you get any inkling of danger, you need to stay away from windows. In fact, stay away from them in general. We’ll also be sticking very close together. On the surface, you and I will appear to be good friends, but it’s a ploy to warn danger away from you.”

“I don’t see why we can’t get along while you intimidate everyone around you,” I told him brightly. Saito wasn’t exactly burly and beefy, but he was tall enough and had a sharp enough glare to ward off stupid people.

He ignored me. “We’ll stay very communicative on any plans or changing plans. I need to give you this.” He opened his bag and gave me a flamboyantly pink communication mirror. “All you have to do is open it and say my name to get ahold of me.”

“Oh, so _that’s_ how it works.” I always wondered how Yusuke managed to call Botan or Koenma with his mirror. There really weren’t any buttons or numbers, hence the confusion. “Thanks. I’ll keep it close.”

“Don’t leave the school without telling me. While you’re here, you’re my responsibility, understand?”

“Got it.” I felt like I was two. “Hey, Saito, do you know anything about Hatton? Heard anything? Suspect anything?”

He folded his arms, eyes sweeping the courtyard. “I don’t know anything about him personally. I’ve read over your file, and I can tell you that between the fox and Koenma-sama, you’ve got good people on the case. My ex-captain is even keeping his ear to the ground in the Makai – we just don’t know a lot about him. But I’m not going to make assumptions about his powers and base your security on that. My job is to assume and plan for the worst, and my orders are to protect you from it.”

I snapped my lid back on my half-eaten bento. “Well, I’m glad you take your job seriously.”

“I’ll also need to coordinate with the spirit fox too. He’ll be picking you up after school?”

Ordinarily, I might have gotten a little riled up about Saito referring to Kurama without his name, even though he knew it, but I was still mad at Kurama, so I fought a smile back instead. “Yeah, today he’s picking me up. Tomorrow, it’s Kaname.”

Saito narrowed his eyes. “The one known as Sniper?”

Ah, an unforeseen circumstance. Why didn’t I think of this? _Ooh!_ I bet Kurama had, that little shit. No wonder he said yes to Kaname and I going on a date. He knew Saito would be against it.

I gave Saito a doe-eyed look. “Yes, but he’s completely back to normal, so don’t worry. Sensui manipulated him into doing a bunch of bad things, but now Kaname’s on our side. _My_ side.”

Saito looked mildly disgusted. “I can’t control what happens outside of the school. That’s not my jurisdiction, but you should know that you’re being very foolish. The Sniper is a B-class psychic, and he’s extremely lethal.”

B-class? Interesting. I didn’t know the Reikai rated psychics, and I definitely didn’t realize Kaname would rate that high. I smiled at Saito. “What, did you think his pretty face was the only reason I want to date him? Why would I waste my time with a weak guy when my life is on the line? Anyway, to give me a point of reference, what would the Reikai rate Kuwabara as?”

“Kuwabara is rated a high A-class psychic. We don’t rate him as lethal as the Sniper; his rating largely comes from his dimension-cutting sword, his high defensive power, and his sensitivity to spirit energy. He doesn’t need to be watched as closely. You, if you’re curious, are rated as a B-class as well. You’ve never used your powers on another human, so you’re not in the red, but you’re quite deadly to demons, so you’re still considered dangerous. Your rating also comes from your empathic abilities, which border on telepathy, and with a little more training could truly become such. If it comes to that, Koenma-sama will bump you up to A-class.”

I blinked. I knew I was sensitive to other people’s emotions (I always have been for my whole existence), but I never figured I could _actually_ become telepathic. “How do I do that? Just meditate?”

Saito blinked and frowned. “My orders don’t coincide with training.”

“I’m not asking for training – I’m asking for _tips_. Please,” I said politely. “Anyway, think about it. If I become more aware of what the people around me are thinking, I’m better prepared to avoid an attack if someone’s thinking about how they have orders to kidnap and or kill me. That makes _me_ less dead, and _you_ look good to Koenma.”

“Well, I can’t deny you have a point there,” Saito said, sweeping his eyes around the courtyard again and propping his chin on his hand. He looked back at me. “Close your eyes. Count auras. How many people are there in the courtyard?”

I closed my eyes and stretched out my senses. Eight auras jumped out at me right away, but those were the rowdy boys horsing around on the opposite side of the courtyard. Between them and me, I knew there was a girl reading (because I saw her), and a few others quietly eating lunch or chatting. I tried to examine their energy quickly, adding them up in my head. The boy walking across the courtyard was brooding about something, and the girl who was reading was completely immersed in her book. Meanwhile, there was Usui Nanami and her friend who had helped her with her day duties the other day. I didn’t know her name, and couldn’t get it off her energy either.

“Not counting us,” I began, keeping my eyes closed, “I’d say fifteen.”

“Good job,” Saito answered, and I opened my eyes. “Keep counting auras. Take your time examining them. Count them before you enter a classroom. Keep focusing your energy outside of you, stretch it, and widen your range. The best thing to do is use your empathic abilities to identify someone else’s emotion, and follow that emotion to a train of thought. You may not be able to hear someone word for word right away, but you should be able to grasp what they’re thinking in general.”

“I’ll work on it,” I said cheerfully. “Thanks.”

* * *

Kurama and I worked out the details, and decided that Kaname could come pick me up from school Tuesday afternoon. I had wanted to dress up a little, but going home with Kurama and then having him walk me to the café discouraged me. His black mood had disintegrated, but I could still sense his edginess every time I was alone with him.

Kaname came on his bike, which made Saito frown, but I just gave him a jaunty wave before hopping on behind Kaname. I wrapped my arms around his lean waist, and he took off down the road, engine roaring.

He parked his bike in an alleyway across the café, and we grinned at each other as we got off the bike and crossed the street. He held the door open for me, and I ducked inside. We ordered our coffee and sat at a corner table in the back, to keep an eye on the door.

“So, that guy was your new bodyguard?” Kaname asked, leaning forward on the table. His coffee sent lazy spirals of steam up to his chin.

“Yeah, he’s an SDF member,” I told him. I quirked a curious eyebrow at him. “Have you heard about the Spirit Defense Force? They’re Koenma’s personal task force. I’m actually not sure what all they do, apart from following his orders.”

His lips widened. “Probably stuff like making sure the human world doesn’t go flying off its axis and bad guys don’t take over. Is he nice?”

“He’s super professional,” I answered. “He takes his job really seriously. I wouldn’t call him nice though.” I brightened up. “Oh, I wanted to tell you – I knew they rated demons, but apparently the Reikai rates human psychics too. Saito told me what they rated you. Interested?”

His lavender eyes stayed fixed on my face. “Sure.”

He could be such an intense guy sometimes. I grinned. “They rate you as B-class. And super lethal.”

Kaname smirked, and rubbed his chin. He glanced down at his coffee and back up at me. I could tell he was pleased. “Wonder what they rated the others. Especially Sensui-san.”

I tested my coffee and burned my tongue. “Actually, I talked to Kurama about that. Sensui was so powerful they couldn’t use the human psychic scale to rate him. They put him on the demon scale, and I think he was like an S-class demon or something. I don’t know about the rest of your crew though.”

“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin again, and his thumb bit into his lip as he swept his eyes around the café. “I think the Doctor was probably the strongest of us. Did he tell you what you were rated as?”

I watched his eyes, and opened myself to the auras in the café. It was quiet, but so far no red flags. “B-class. Like you.” I leaned closer to him, keeping my voice down. “It turns out that the Reikai doesn’t know my limitations either.”

His fingertips left his mouth and grazed my cheek, resting on my ear. “Probably better to keep it that way. You don’t want someone infiltrating their records and finding out things about you that you don’t want them to know.”

“Mmhm. How was your day? Actually, wait, I wanted to ask you about Shigure. How did he know it was me in the grocery store?”

“Ah, that.” Kaname pulled his hand back and propped his chin on his palm. He gave me a lazy look. “He heard that guy say your name. Plus, I told him what you looked like.”

I smiled at my coffee cup sitting on the table. “You told your friend about me?”

“Well, yeah. You tell your friends when you meet someone you like. Didn’t you tell your friends about me?” There was a teasing note to his question. “Or are you hiding my existence?”

“I told them,” I murmured, trying my coffee again. It was cool enough to drink now. “I wanted them to know about you.”

He rubbed his chin again and looked around the café again to hide a smile. “So, you’re all right with me, then?”

“ _I_ should be asking that,” I said, watching him. “I’m the one who has an overbearing kitsune guardian, and a serial killer out for my blood. But with that, you might not actually notice my shortcomings.”

He smirked. “You already told me some of them – like your shoujo manga obsession. But I wanna ask you something.” His arm dropped from his chin to rest on the table. He leaned forward and looked at me intently. “It’s pretty obvious to me, but I wondered if Kurama told you that he loves you.”

Jesus Christ.

I turned my gaze down to the coffee cup between my hands. “He told me. I let him know I wasn’t interested.” I should tell Kaname that Kurama seemed intent on pursuing me anyway, but it was probably obvious, and I couldn’t seem to form the words anyway. “I told him I wanted to date you.”

That was the right thing to say evidently – not that Kaname seemed all that upset about it anyway. He reached across the table and pulled my hand from my cup to hold it in his. His eyes burned into mine. “He hasn’t made you uncomfortable, has he?”

“No, of course not. He’s manipulative, but he would never take advantage of me like that.” _Probably._

He squeezed my hand. “Just checking.”

I hoped I wasn’t hiding too much from him. I squeezed back. “Thank you.”

He finally picked up his coffee mug and sipped. His lavender eyes did another sweep of the café. “What do you wanna do next time?”

“Mm, take me to your favorite places,” I suggested, trailing my fingertip over the back of his hand. “Show me where you like to hang out.”

“All right,” he agreed, rubbing his chin again and looking away.

 _He’s happy_. Now, I just had to convince Kurama to let Kaname take me out again. Although, I wasn’t really sure how to go about it…

An idea struck me. All I had to do was outmaneuver Kurama, and for that, all I had to do was bring Shiori and Katsuya into it. I straightened up in my seat, and Kaname’s eyes flashed to my face in interest. “I have an idea!” I exclaimed. “I do want to see your favorite places, but first, you have to meet Shiori and Katsuya. Why don’t you come over for dinner this week?”

He sat backwards in surprise. “You want me to meet your family? Isn’t it kinda early?”

I decided to tease him a little. I gave him the wide-eyed, hurt look – one that never worked on Kurama, but Kaname wasn’t as defensive as he was. I looked down for good measure. “You don’t want to?”

He started and I found his hand going around my chin and lifting my face up. His mouth was in a serious line. “I’ll come.”

My smile was too wide, too victorious, and I could tell he figured out I had tricked him instantly. I grabbed both of his hands and tucked them under my chin before he could scold me or protest. “Too late! You already said yes. Besides, I have my reasons, and anyway, Shiori-san said that if I have a boyfriend she has to meet him.”

“Say that again.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “Which part?”

His hands left their space under my chin and went around my face. He leaned closer over the table, so that we were nearly nose-to-nose. “You know which part.”

“Uh…I have my reasons?”

“Try again.”

“…Shiori-san would want to meet you?”

“What for?” he prompted.

I tried to hold back my grin and failed. “…Because you’re my boyfriend?”

His mouth met mine, hard at first, like he was smothering a laugh, and then more sincerely. I could taste his coffee as I kissed him back. His hands continued to hold my face as he deepened the kiss. His lips parted and his teeth caught my bottom lip. My heart raced inside of my chest the whole time, and I was almost glad when he pulled away.

“What day should I come over?” he asked, drawing his hands away and settling back on his side of the table.

“Um.” I could feel myself turn red. “I’ll check with Shiori-san and text you later?”

He smirked. “You do that. Make sure Kurama knows that I’ll be looking forward to seeing him again, too.”

“Why, Hagiri, I didn’t know you were so fond of me.”

I snapped up to find Kurama towering over our table, and I could feel a scowl tug at my mouth. It wasn’t even _six_ yet. We agreed on a real date, and he was already interfering!

Kaname just smiled, secure in my affections, and propped his chin on his hand. “I would be a shitty boyfriend if I didn’t try to get along with my girlfriend’s brother.”

“Why are you here?” I demanded, glaring.

“Ah, that’s the warm welcome I was expecting,” Kurama said dryly. “A storm is rolling in and we need to get home before it starts. I suggest you go home as well, Hagiri.”

Kaname and I exchanged a look. He shrugged and I sighed. We got up from the table, knocked back the rest of our coffee, and turned to each other.

“I’ll text you later,” I reminded him.

He touched my hair and he drew me closer to him. I almost forgot about Kurama standing right there when his arm went around my waist. “Call me instead,” he demanded quietly. “I like your voice.”

My cheeks burned again. “Okay.”

He moved to plant another kiss on me, but I ducked away with a quick glance to Kurama. I would be killed twice if Kaname kissed me now: first by my racing heart tripping over itself, and then by Kurama. He had a bored look on his face, but I could sense his energy spiking around him like thorns. He was irritated.

Kaname smirked at me, not at all offended that I just avoided him. “I’ll talk to you later then.”

“Mmhm.” I gave him my warmest smile, but it was slightly awkward around the edges from my embarrassment. “Bye, Kaname.”

Kurama started towards the door and I turned and whisked after him. Outside, the sky was indeed grey and threatening, and I could smell ozone in the air. We rushed down the street in a hurried walk, and I noticed Kurama had brought our umbrellas, just in case.

I tried to decipher his mood. His face was a closed book – I couldn’t get a thing off of it, but his aura (which he couldn’t hide from me) was churning around him, like he was brooding. And I knew he had to be, I mean, I would be in his position. I felt a stab of guilt.

I tried to talk about something normal. “I didn’t notice it was supposed to rain today. I’m glad you brought umbrellas. Do you think we’ll make it home before it starts?”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t believe we will. Here, you’d better take yours.”

I did, and the sky split open a couple of blocks later, but I opened my umbrella before I could get too wet. The awkward air between us was dampened slightly by the rain, enough to breathe, and I stayed focused on avoiding developing puddles in the street. My school loafers would drown otherwise.

My thoughts drifted back to meeting Kaname. He was so adorable and sweet and I wanted to meet him again, as soon as possible. So, I couldn’t help the slight skip in my step, and nearly slipped off the curb because of it.

Kurama caught my arm and tugged me upright. “Be careful,” he admonished.

I felt another twinge of guilt. “Sorry.”

Kurama raised an eyebrow in surprise. “An apology? How strange. You know, you needn’t feel guilty over Kaname, Alice. You’re neither trampling on my feelings, nor risking my affection for you. I rather like the challenge, honestly. I’ve always been rather adept at stealing treasures others find difficult to obtain.”

I forced my face in an expressionless mask, keeping my eyes on the sidewalk ahead of me. _If I give him an inch, he’ll take a mile. If I give him an inch, he’ll take a mile. If I give him an inch, he’ll take a mile. Do not, do not, do not react._

I could feel his gaze burning into me in a sideways look. I should say _something_ , right? I didn’t even know how to feel about that sort of declaration. People don’t normally say shit like that. But then again, Kurama wasn’t exactly what you’d call _normal_.

“Processing?” he queried.

I bit the inside of my cheek and turned away from him to glance in the shop we were passing. A bakery. Wax croissants and baguettes were on display, but the rain didn’t mask the smell of freshly baked bread at all. I slowed, examining the prices.

“Alice?”

“I want a croissant,” I announced.

Kurama’s mouth curved in amusement. “You’ll spoil your dinner. Shall we buy some for breakfast tomorrow?”

I sighed and moved on. “It’s not the same, since it won’t be hot out of the oven. Let’s go.”

He chuckled, following me. “Mother will be making something delicious, in any case. Still processing?”

I tried to ignore him, but he caught my arm again, to pull me out of a salary man’s way. His hand slipped from my elbow to thread his fingers through mine. My stomach clenched in anticipation, and I tried to stop thinking about anything at all. My eyes dropped to the sidewalk again.

His hand tightened around mine; thumb brushing the side of my knuckle. I could feel his curiosity, and the way he was assessing my reaction. “Shall I be honest?”

I shrugged.

“I don’t believe you hate me as much as you want me to think. Perhaps you aren’t that comfortable when I touch you, but you seem rather determined to keep a distance from me, rather than actually being repulsed by my hand.”

Boy, he sure insisted on pushing his agenda on me today, didn’t he? I had to say something to him, otherwise he was never going to leave me alone.

“I thought you were going to be honest,” I remarked.

“Wasn’t I?”

I gave him a sideways look. “Honesty implies sharing a vulnerable part of yourself. You only analyzed me.”

He smiled. “You won’t confirm my thoughts?”

“You won’t be vulnerable.”

His eyebrows went up. “You want me to be vulnerable?”

I made a snobbish noise in my throat. “Why would I want to be with someone who didn’t trust me? You’re too hard, too distant, and I’d rather spend my time with someone happy to share themselves with me. Are you processing that?”

“I feel as though you’ve given me something important to consider, yes,” he replied, ignoring my bitchy tone. “Although, I do find the irony in your statement a little amusing.”

What? What fucking irony? I glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

His eyebrows went up higher. “I’m not the only one who’s hard, distant, and untrusting, Alice. Aren’t relationships a two-way street?”

“Of course they are, and that’s why we don’t have one,” I retorted, tugging my hand out of his grasp. I started ahead of him, but was stopped by his hand on the strap of my bag. I tossed a scowl over my shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t get too far away from me,” he said, green eyes softening. There was a double meaning to his words, and I felt them strike my heart like an arrow. “Please, Alice, I’m very serious here.”

Guilt bubbled out of my stomach, making my eyes burn and my mouth tremble slightly. I put out my hand for him to take, and turned away before he could have a good look at my face. I didn’t want him to see me near tears.

He gave my hand a warm squeeze, and bent to press a soft kiss on my cheek. “To you, I’ll be vulnerable,” he promised.

My heart leapt and started beating at breakneck speed. I turned to look at him, trying to keep my face blank, but I could see the sincerity in his eyes. He really meant what he said. He was completely in this.

Oh, hell. I pushed away and strode ahead of him. The street was clearing up in the rain, so it was easy to hear Kurama cough his laughter behind me. I could feel him behind me. His presence burned at my back. There really was no denying his feelings, and I was starting to wonder if I should have ever confronted him about it.

* * *

 


End file.
